Fresh strike looms as NASU reviews agreement Tuesday

The Non-Teaching Staff of Federal Universities (NASU) and Inter-University Centres may resume their suspended strike over the non-implementation of the agreement reached with the Federal Government. 

The Guardian learnt that members of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions were unhappy over Federal Government’s nonchalant attitude towards implementing the agreement reached with NASU and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) over four weeks ago. 

Consequently, NASU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abuja, will take a decision on the possible resumption of the suspended strike. 

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, said the parley would closely evaluate the contents of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached with the Federal Government on October 20, 2020, with a view to declaring its position on the state of its implementation, as it affects the universities and inter-university centres in the country. 

Adeyemi said Federal Government had failed to show commitment towards the implementation of relevant sections that have timelines. 

Some of the items include failure of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) Office to redress all the irregularities associated with the implementation of IPPIS in the Universities and Inter-Universities Centres within the stipulated period and the failure of the committee set up to look into the issues of payment of allowances as contained in the FGN/NASU 2009 agreement to meet and deal decisively with all the issues within the specified period of two weeks.

Adeyemi also pointed out that the current negotiations between the Federal Government and the organised Labour had not produced the expected results. He queried why the Federal Government increased the pump price of petrol after reaching understanding with Labour.