•Bemoan suffering of members

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) staged a nationwide protest over unresolved issues affecting non-teaching staff.

The unions said the protest was to draw attention to decades of unmet demands and government’s continuous neglect of workers’ welfare in universities and inter-university centres.

Chairman of SSANU and JAC, Mr. Nurudeen Yusuf, told newsmen during the protest at the Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, yesterday, that the protest was over the delay by the Federal Government to implement the 2009 negotiation.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as, “Honour your agreement,” “Pay us our sweat” and “No more empty promises.”

Yusuf said the action reflected renewed agitation for justice and fairness in the university system after years of failed negotiations.

He said the government was yet to honour their agreements since 2009 in spite of repeated talks and several committees, including the Babalakin, Yayale Ahmed and expanded committees, without concrete results.

“This is the longest labour negotiation in history. The non-academic staff have continued to suffer from government’s insensitivity,” he said.

He listed their key grievances to include unfair disbursement of N50 billion earned allowances, non-payment of two months’ salaries in 2022, the unremitted third-party deductions and unpaid 25 percent to 35 percent wage award arrears.

According to him, meetings with the Minister of Education on September 19 and October 6, yielded no positive result, prompting JAC’s peaceful protest nationwide.

“We have extended our ultimatum twice to allow dialogue, but no meaningful response has come from the government,” he said.

NASU president,  Dr Makulu Hasan, said the issues had lingered for years, in spite of repeated strike warnings and appeals for dialogue.

Hasan condemned the unfair sharing of the N50 billion allowances, saying that NASU and SSANU received only 20 percent, while some members were completely excluded.

He demanded the payment of withheld salaries and wage awards and urged the government to honour its promises to restore peace and fairness in the university system.

At the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), the protesters marched through the campus, carrying placards with inscription like, “We worked, you withheld, release our wages;” “Enough is enough, pay our two months salaries” and “No more empty promises, Action now,” among others.

The SSANU chairman, Ademola Junaid said JAC’s struggles between 2021 and 2022 led to signing of the agreement between the JAC and the Federal Government on August 20, 2022. He bemoaned the suffering of its members, saying that the Federal Government has not been sincere about the plight of SSANU/NASU members.

Junaid also said that the contentious issues were the alleged disbursement of N50 billion earned allowances and delay in renegotiation of the 2009 FGN and NASU/SSANU agreements, among others.

Also, the SSANU vice-chairman, Mrs. Stella Adebiyi, said the Federal Government had been playing pranks with the associations by promising them and failing on all their demands since 2009 till date, in spite of all the ultimatum given.

Adebiyi said the protest was the only avenue to show their grievances, stressing that that is the only language the government understands.

She explained that the Federal Government has failed to pay their two months salaries as well as that of the 25 and 35 percent salary arrears.

According to her, the majority of their members have retired and are unable to get their third party deductions of the two months’ salaries, which is unfair.

The SSANU vice-chairman appealed to the Federal Government to listen to their voices and stop sabotaging their efforts by paying their promotion arrears for them to live a meaningful life.

In the same vein, Mr. Dayo Oyediwura, chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), recalled that the Federal Government signed a non-victimisation clause with them in 2022, after paying two months salary out of four.

Oyediwura said the Federal Government promised not to victimise anyone that participated in the strike then, but non-payment of their salaries was victimisation, which meant that the Federal Government had violated its pledge.

He explained that the third party deductions for two months were not included, meaning that the two months salary paid to them was nothing to them.

Oyediwura appealed to the Federal Government to pay the arrears of two months salary of their third party deductions and to pay their promotion arrears from 2015/2019 till date.

According to him, the disbursement of N50 billion was unjust, for the money was paid to one union and FG promised to pay SSANU and NASU, but nothing has been done about it till date.

“Treatment of non teaching staff should come with dignity, for dignity of labour should be embraced because they are not slaves.

“The conditions of service of university workers are worst hit financially, economically and psychologically,” he lamented.