Ongoing NASU, SSANU strike imbroglio: Issues and contentions

PRESENTLY, the university education in Nigeria is apparently in a state of nightmare and quagmire due to the protracted industrial actions embarked on by four major workers unions in the country’s tertiary education sector.

For the records, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), are the unions that grounded and shutdown academic activities across universities through their ongoing strikes.

What really are the core reasons NASU and SSANU are on strike presently, one may ask. Comrade Peters Adeyemi, the spokesperson of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU in a recent comment on the issues that necessitated the ongoing strike said, “Recall that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU had embarked on an industrial action which started on Friday, February 5, 2021 and culminated in a Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed on Thursday, February 20, 2021.

“Prior to this, we had embarked on a 14-day warning strike which culminated in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. It is pertinent to note that the issues that led to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of October 2020 and the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of February, 2021 are the same issues that have led to this strike action of March, 2022.

“It needs be said that these same issues had led to previous Collective Bargaining Agreements with the government in 2017 and 2018 before the agreements reached in 2020 and 2021. Going by this therefore, it is easy to conclude that the recurring cause of industrial unrests in our universities and inter-university centres, especially between the JAC of NASU and SSANU and the Federal Government, has been the total disrespect and contemptuous disregard for Collective Bargaining Agreements by the government.”

He further listed the issues that led to the strike as; “The problem of inconsistencies in payment with IPPIS; non-payment of earned allowances; non-payment of arrears of National Minimum Wage and its Consequential Adjustment’ poor funding of state universities; delay in renegotiation of the 2009 agreements; non-release of White Papers of visitation panels; usurpation of headship of non-teaching units in clear violation of conditions of service and establishment procedures and non-payment of retirement benefits to outgone members.”

Expressing disappointment that the same issue keeps resurfacing, he said, “The above issue, among others, represents the core of our disagreement with the government. Arising from the last memorandum and following up on the issues, we had written no less than 10 letters or reminders to the government to no avail, not even an acknowledgement. The letters of reminder included those dated July 26, 2021; August 18, 2021; October 25, 2021; November 22, 2021; February 24, 2022; March 1, 2022 and March 16, 2022.

“It was at the end of all these reminders with no acknowledgement by the government that we were left with no other resort but to embark on a two-weeks warning strike. Prior to the strike, due process was duly followed and the notice was issued in line with the extant laws. Shamefully and painfully, there was no attempt by the government to intercept or even invite the unions to a meeting.

“This aloof and contemptuous attitude of the government further incensed our members who resolved that following the failure of government to even invite the leaderships for a meeting, the strike should be extended by another two weeks before an indefinite and total strike is declared. As of today, the two week extension is getting to the middle and with no response in sight from the government, we may be left with no resort but to embark on an indefinite and total strike. This is gradually becoming unavoidable and inevitable.

“To say we are saddened by the developments is putting it mildly; it is unbelievable that a government cannot live up to its honour by implementing an agreement it freely entered into.

“It is a sorry path that we had avoided but being left with no choice, we have brought our agitation to you with a view to presenting them to the world, we call on well-meaning Nigerians and stakeholders in the university system to prevail on the government to honour the agreement it freely entered into with the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU in order to avoid a total breakdown of industrial harmony in the Nigeria universities and inter-university centres.”