We will embark on full strike if our demands are not met, SSANU, NASU tell FG 

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, University of Lagos State chairman, Olusola Sowunmi, has said that the Federal Government will meet with its national executive members today (Tuesday).

Sowunmi in an interview with our correspondent said the union had resumed work on Monday after the two-week warning strike elapsed.

Recall that the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU commenced a 14-day warning strike from October 5 to October 19.

He said, “Our national leaders will be meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, we are hopeful that all the issues we raised will be attended to. They will be meeting the JAC of SSANU and NASU. They will be meeting the Minister of Labor and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, I am hopeful something reasonable will come out of it. We resumed today but the #ENDSARS protest also affected our people, hopefully, tomorrow, we should have a full house. Everyone is waiting, after the meeting, we will take a decision.”

A statement jointly signed about two weeks ago, by the National President, SSANU, Samson Ugwoke, and the General Secretary, NASU, Peter Adeyemi, said the strike was premised on the inconsistencies of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in the payment of salaries and the non-payment of earned allowances to members.

Some other issues mentioned in the statement were, “Non-payment of national minimum wage and retirement benefits to our members; the delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU agreements; the non-payment of benefits to retired members; teaching staff usurping the headship of non-teaching units; the neglect and poor funding of state universities.”

UNILAG-NASU chairman, Kehinde Ajibade, said members of the union had resumed on Monday too but still awaiting directives from the national leaders.

“Our warning strike has ended but we are waiting for the next directive from our national union; we are waiting for the Federal Government to call our leaders. We are supposed to have a delegate meeting today in Abeokuta but we postponed it because of the ongoing EndSARS protest. We have resumed today, the two-week warning strike is to call the attention of FG to our demands. The national leadership of our union will give us further directive; we are waiting for the FG to invite our leaders,” Ajibade said.

Meanwhile, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Ben Goong, in a chat with our correspondent said, “The strike action is unfortunate, unnecessary and uncalled for.”