Non-teaching staff of the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, have issued a 30-day ultimatum to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the institution’s management to settle arrears of minimum wage and other emoluments.
The non-teaching staffers, under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), threatened to down tools if their demands were ignored after the deadline expires.
The coalition, in a statement signed by the chairmen and secretaries of the three unions dated August 25, 2021, said the state government reneged on its promise during a bilateral meeting on February 10, 2021, and it was agreed that the state government would implement the minimum wage as approved by Governor Okowa in February 2021, and as well pay the accrued arrears.
It will be recalled that the unions had embarked on an indefinite strike that commenced on February 9, 2021, over the non-implementation of the National Minimum Wage, but later suspended it after the February 10, 2021 meeting with government officials.
It noted that although the minimum wage was implemented with February salaries, they were yet to receive the accrued arrears since then.
The group added that in May, they had decided to begin another indefinite strike over the issue, but called it off after a letter from the university management, appealing to them to exercise more patience with a promise to engage the state government on the arrests.
DELSU JAC wondered why they were bring denied the arrears of the minimum wage being enjoyed by other civil servants in the state.
Aside from the payment of the Minimum Wage arrears, the DELSU staffers listed the payment of arrears for 2017, 2018, 2019 promotion exercises, implementation of 2020 promotion and payment of its accrued arrears, proper implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme and proper implementation of the Health Insurance Scheme.
Others, according to them, include, payment of outstanding 19 months arrears of salary differentials between HATISS and CONUSS for the Staff Secondary School and payment of Hazard and Responsibility allowances to deserving staff as approved by the Governing Council of the university.
The aggrieved unions reiterated that the August 25, 2021 meeting, after discreet deliberation, decided to issue the 30-day ultimatum with effect from September 1 after which they’d embark on industrial action indefinitely.
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