Labour Plans One-Day Protest On ASUU Strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its affiliate bodies to mobilise for a one-day strike next week over the lingering strike by university-based unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU).

The directive came hours after the vice-chancellors of universities pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently end the strike by personally negotiating with the four unions—ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

ASUU began its strike on February 14, 2022, before SSANU, NASU and NAAT joined..

The common issues the unions want the government to address before they could return to work are salaries and entitlements.

ASUU insists on the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) it created for the payment of its members’ salaries. It alleged that its members were being shortchanged through the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS) introduced by the government

SSANU and NASU also demanded the implementation of their payment platform known as the Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (UPPPS) as against IPPIS.

Although Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige, who is the chief conciliator of the strike, said last week that progress was being made, NLC stated yesterday that it was embarking on the sympathy protest because the Federal Government was being reluctant in addressing the disputed issues..

NLC President Ayuba Wabba said: “The strike in the education sector is an eyesore. For now, running into four months, the children of the poor have remained at home.

“You will recall that the last decision we took was to the extent of writing to Mr President and we gave a 21-day notice for them to convene a very high-powered meeting to be chaired either by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustafa or the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, for this issue to be resolved once and for all.

“That meeting was called but from the reports we received yesterday (Wednesday) from all the unions in the education sector, ASUU, NASU, SSANU, NAAT, Collages of Education, polytechnics, we have found out that progress has not been made and the timeline of three weeks that was given by that committee for all reports to be turned in and for the government to be able to make decisions that have not taken place.

“Therefore yesterday (Wednesday), the NLC Central Working Committee (CWC) took note of that and lamented very profusely that we are not going in the right direction, especially in terms of quality education.

“Today, there has been an increase in issues of social vices and this can be traced to the fact that those children have been at home for four months and no progress has been made.

“Time lost cannot be regained and whatever can be addressed within a shorter time; why should the government allow the situation to actually prolong what we can do today? Why do we need to draw it and address it later?

“I think there is reluctance in addressing this issue and therefore CWC has decided that there will be a one-day national protest to call the attention of the government to resolve the issue immediately after that the next decision of the CWC will take place.

“We have also asked all our affiliates in the next one week will issue statements to give credence to that decision.”

Wabba also spoke on fuel crisis in the country and the sack of teachers by the Kaduna State Government.