The House of Representatives has resolved to halt the planned strike by the Non-Academic Staff of Universities (NASU), with a move to intervene in the dispute between the Federal Government and staff of Nigerian universities.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, Abubakar Fulata, made the move at a meeting with the officials of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and NASU in Abuja on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Others at the meeting included the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) as well as other relevant stakeholders.
The SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, who also spoke on behalf of the unions, said the unions embarked on a one-week warning strike recently because of the non-payment of their withheld salary in 2022.
Ibrahim said despite President Bola Tinubu’s waiver and directive that four months of their withheld salary over the 2022 industrial action be paid, it had not been adhered to.
‘We’ll decide next action’: SSANU, NASU end strike
He added that the Ministry of Education and Office of Accountant General of the Federation had not complied.
The SSANU President noted that the unions were planning to go on an indefinite strike any moment from now should the government fails to comply with their demands.
Ibrahim said their counterpart, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had been paid the four months withheld salary and wondered why the government would not pay their own salary.
Also speaking, NAAT President, Ibeji Nwokema, said that the Federal Government had not fully complied with the 2009 and 2017 agreements reached with the unions.
Nwokema said shortly after the end of the seven-day warning strike which started on March 20, NAAT officials met and agreed to begin an indefinite strike in April.
However, Fulata appealed to the unions to give the committee and the entire House of Representatives time to meet with relevant authorities on the issues.
Fulata said the House would resume on April 16 and would take drastic actions on their issues, hence the need to put on hold notices of a strike.
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