NASU to commence strike

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) said it would embark on strike action in federal universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education the day schools resume. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi. The statement stated that the non-teaching staff union is protesting ‘short-payment’ […]

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) said it would embark on strike action in federal universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education the day schools resume.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi.

The statement stated that the non-teaching staff union is protesting ‘short-payment’ of its members’ salaries since February 2020.

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The association has filed the Trade Dispute Act CAP 432, Trade Disputes (Essential Services) Act, CAP 433 of the of the law of the federation of Nigeria 1990 and Trade disputes (Amendment) Decree No 47 of 1992 otherwise called Form TD/3.

In its filled form TD/3, titled ‘notification of trade dispute, inter and intra – union disputes by employers/workers organization, etc., NASU raised issues in dispute to include non-payment of salaries to some staff, short payment of salaries to some staff, failure to pay approved allowances as contained in the FGN/NASU year 2009 agreement.

Others are non-deduction of check-off dues, and non-deduction of cooperative and other deductions of its members in the federal universities and inter-university centres, federal polytechnics and federal Colleges of Education.

Also, in a letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, declaring a trade dispute, Adeyemi, said despite the assurances given by Ngige, the crisis has continued to linger.

He said: “Regrettably, despite your assurances via a telephone discussion sometimes in early April, 2020, the officials of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) have refused to effect appropriate corrections of all the anomalies observed by NASU members in the Federal Universities and Intra-University Centres, Federal Polytechnics and Federal Colleges of Education up to this current moment, i.e salaries paid to our members in February, March and April, 2020.”

NASU subsequently gave notice of strike action, saying that having fulfilled all the statutory requirements, it placed all its members in the Federal Universities and Intra-University Centres, Federal Polytechnics and Federal Colleges of Education on a 14-day warning strike effective the date of the resumption of work in all the mentioned institutions.

It added that thereafter, an indefinite strike will follow if positive action is not taken to remedy the situation.

Conveying the strike notice to its members during the weekend through a letter with reference number NASU/CD/307/209, NASU told its members that the 14-day warning strike would be used to protest the refusal of IPPIS to react positively to issues that affect the correct payment of its members’ salaries and other errors identified which have been placed before the IPPIS for correction.