NAAT threatens strike, gives FG 21-day ultimatum

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike, giving the federal government a 21-day ultimatum to pay the five and a half months’ withheld salaries.

The ultimatum was part of NAAT’s resolutions at its 56th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, recently.

A letter addressed to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment and signed by the association’s President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, warned that the union should not be held responsible if, after the expiration of the ultimatum, which commenced on September 30, nothing was done to address their plethora of demands.

The letter, titled “Notice of 21-day ultimatum to embark on an industrial action,” was copied to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Universities Commission (NUC).

The letter read: “The leadership of the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) wishes to draw your attention to the above subject matter.

“Arising from the 56th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Federal University Wukari on September 25 and 26, 2024, the union is compelled to issue this notice of a three-week ultimatum as a result of the failure of the government to keep to the promises and assurances given on the payment of the five and a half months’ withheld salaries of NAAT members, even after a presidential directive of over five months ago and other outstanding issues as stated below:

“Non-release of enabling circular on CONTISS 14 and 15 for NAAT members as agreed in the 2017 MoU, payment of arrears of minimum wage to the omitted members of NAAT (April 2019 to January 2020), payment of arrears of 25 percent and 35 percent salary increase (January to December 2023).

“Inadequate infrastructure, dilapidated laboratories, workshops, and obsolete equipment, complete/total negligence of the training of academic technologists on the use of modern equipment and ICT.

“The minister is to note that at the expiration of the three weeks, and without any positive results from the government, the union will be forced to commence industrial action without further notice.”

It will be recalled that NAAT initiated an industrial action from March 21, 2022, that ended in August 2022 after a series of meetings held at the instance of the then Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, where a resolution dated August 17, 2022, was reached.

The association laments that all the issues that led to the strike were yet to be resolved by the federal government despite the resolutions reached, which included the non-conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement.

It had also raised the alarm over the non-provision of funds for the upgrade of public universities’ laboratories, workshops, and studios and obsolete equipment.

A statement signed by the NAAT President to that effect read: “It is important to note that the federal government invoked the ‘no-work-no-pay’ policy, which NAAT rejected as all due processes as contained in the Trade Union Act were followed.

“This led to our members being owed five and a half months’ salary. Regardless of all the efforts to resolve the issues peacefully through dialogue, the federal government has not paid the withheld salaries despite promises made by government representatives and a presidential directive.

“In March 2024, a sister union was paid four months’ arrears of the withheld salary while NAAT members were not paid.

“This prompted the union to embark on a three-day warning strike/protest to demand the payment of the five and a half months’ salaries of NAAT members. The three-day warning strike was suspended only after an appeal and promise to pursue the issue within a short period by the Ministers of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, and that of State, Dr. Yusuf Sununu.

“It is now September 2024, and NAAT members have not been paid the withheld salary even after a pronouncement made by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment that President Bola Tinubu has approved the payment of withheld salaries to all university-based unions in full.

“Furthermore, NAAT also wishes to state that part of the resolutions that led to the suspension of the strike in 2022 was the commitment to release N50 billion for the payment of Earned Allowances for university staff.

“It is pertinent to note that item seven of the resolution of August 17, 2022, clearly stated that the N50 billion is for the payment of Earned Allowances (EA) and Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).

“In view of the foregoing, at its 56th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on September 25 and 26, 2024, at Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, after exhaustive deliberations, unanimously resolved to issue a three-week ultimatum to the federal government to resolve the above-mentioned demands, failure of which the union will have no option but to embark on industrial action without further notice.

“NAAT calls on all well-meaning Nigerians, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil societies, and student leadership to prevail on the federal government regarding the above demands.”