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Tag: NASU

  • Senate seeks immediate end to NASU strike

    Senate seeks immediate end to NASU strike

    The Senate on Wednesday expressed concern at the lingering strike by members of Non- Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU).

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, mandated the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund to take up the challenge of bringing the striking workers to a roundtable to resolve issues at stake.

    Ekweremadu gave the mandate during the debate of an Act to establish the City University of Technology, Auchi, and for other connected matters Bill 2018.

    Senator Francis Alimikhena, (Edo North), who sponsored the Bill, sought the conversion of Auchi Polytechnic to a degree awarding institution.

    The Bill scaled second reading despite stiff opposition from Senator Sam Egwu that the Bill should be killed.

    On the NASU strike, Ekweremadu said: “We need to do something urgently about the NASU strike to ensure that we bring them back to their institutions. They have been on strike for a long time. The committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund should take the matter up and ensure that the workers go back to work. It has become a matter of urgent importance that something is done to get the workers back to work.”

     

     

  • NANS faults NASU’s disruption of activities at UNN

    THE National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has faulted plans by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) chapter of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) to disrupt activities as part of an ongoing national strike.

    Last Tuesday, NASU allegedly stopped electricity and water supply to the campus, fuelling the students’anger. Normalcy returned after intervention by NANS officials, led by Kingsley Nwosu, the Director of Sports

    Condemning the NASU action, NANS said while it was not against the strike by the national leadership of the union, there was no reason to disrupt academic activities and electricity supply on UNN campus.

    Kingsley urged the aggrieved union members not to allow their action affect students. He reiterated the commitment of the students’ apex body to continuing its fight for students’welfare, assuring that the situation was under control.

    He said: “Sequel to the barricade placed at the main gate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka by the Non-Academic Staff Union, the leadership of NANS has taken actions and serious steps to see to it that students do not experience this again.

    “The leadership of NANS is not against actions being taken by NASU in its ongoing strike, but we rather request the union to carry out its actions without obstructing electricity, water supply and academic activities.

    “We call on students to stay calm and go about their activities as NANS has the situation under control because education is our right and not a privilege.’’

     

  • NANS appeals to FG dialogue with NASU over demands

    NANS appeals to FG dialogue with NASU over demands

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to the Federal Government to dialogue with the striking Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) in the interest of Nigerian students.

    The NANS Public Relations Officer, Mr Bestman Okereafor, made the appeal in a statement and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu.

    “We are appealing that the Federal Government should look into the matter that caused the strike and resolve it, as Nigerian students bear the brunt of the hardship caused by the strike,’’ Okereafor said.

    He said that the association was displeased at the delay by the government to resolve the lingering NASU’s industrial action.

    “This is negatively affecting millions of university students currently writing their exams across the federation.

    “Our students have been in total darkness, non availability of water, scarcity of transportation, non availability of examination pass, no access to the library and documentations and records among several other things, which all fall under the purview of NASU,’’ he said.

    Read Also: NANS urges FG to pay entitlements of deceased heroes to families.

    According to him, it is unfortunate that even the Senate and House of Representatives have decided to keep mute over the issue for so long, probably because their children are in the Diaspora.

    “It is disappointing that the government has decided to take the welfare of Nigerian students with levity despite our love and loyalty to our dear country.

    “This undue suffering is unacceptable to Nigerian students, as this has drastically affected their academic performance,’’ he said.

    Okereafor, however, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to grant NANS leadership  an audience to enable the association to table the myriad problems facing Nigerian students before him “as a father’’.

    NAN recalls that NASU’s strike, which commenced on Dec. 10, 2017, had lingered for over a month now.

    NAN

  • NASU berates inadequate funding of libraries

    NASU berates inadequate funding of libraries

    The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions ( NASU ), has expressed dismay over inadequate funding of the National and State libraries across the country.

    Mr Micheal Adegoke, the Deputy National President of the union, said this at the end of the regular meeting of the WAEC/Libraries and Others Trade Groups in Lagos.

    Adegoke said that libraries, which served as gatekeepers, storehouses of knowledge and a critical element in the educational sector had been neglected.

    He said that there was no way the country could achieve the education for all if the present level of funding of the national and state-owned libraries was not drastically improved upon.

    He described as a national embarrassment, the present rented apartment of the National Library of Nigeria in Abuja and other parts of the country.

    Read also: NASU’s overreach

    The deputy president, therefore, called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the completion of the abandoned National Library of Nigeria Headquarters building, as a matter of utmost priority.

    Adegoke also urged the federal and state governments to improve funding of their libraries so that the aims and objectives of establishing them could be attained.

    He urged the intervention of Tertiary Education Trust Fund ( TETFUND ) in the funding of libraries as it did for public institutions’ libraries.

    NASU and other varsities’ staff unions such as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities ( SSANU ) and National Association of Academic Technologists ( NAAT ) are currently on strike nationwide.

    The unions are demanding that the Federal Government should release N30 billion to them as a condition to calling off their industrial action.

    “Government should release more funds to take care of the arrears of the earned allowance of the three non-teaching staff of universities and commence the immediate implementation of the allowances to forestall further accumulation of the arrears,’’ Mr Alfred Jimoh.

    Jimoh is the National Vice President of SSANU and made the call at a news briefing on December 15 in Akure, Ondo State.

    NAN

  • NASU’s overreach

    NASU’s overreach

    SIR: Across the nation, higher institutions are at different levels of shutdown due to a nationwide strike embarked upon by the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) over the payment of accumulated allowances.

    In Obafemi Awolowo University, the strike action took the form of a blockade of the school gate, forcing lecturers, students, visitors, and businesspeople alike, to trek a 30-minute distance under the hot December sun. They cut supply of light and water throughout the school, making simple tasks like bathing and flushing toilets a herculean.  They went as far as chasing lecturers out of classes and beating up some. Names of graduating students who should be processed for law school admission and convocation was put on hold. These actions forced the school management to announce that the school would be proceeding on an “end of the year break” and also to postpone the convocation ceremony.

    The deed has been done, but we should be focused on how to prevent it from reoccurring. And one way to do this is to cut back on the powers given to unions in academic institutions. Control of essential services like water and light in academic institutions should be extricated from non-academic unions and be transferred to professional bodies, like the water corporation and the electricity distribution company. There is precedent for this in other institutions. In Nnamdi Azikiwe University, the same NASU strike only resulted in closure of the library, some general lecture theatres, and laboratories. Other than that, academic activities are still ongoing. At UNILORIN, the story is the same. If the current school management will live up to its vision to ensure a hitch-free academic calendar, it must take some hard decisions.

    This move will most likely be opposed by the relevant unions since their bargaining chip (control of light and water) is about to be taken from them. To achieve this, the school should take advantage of the next long holiday in line to implement this alongside overdue renovations to the water and electricity infrastructure.

    The right to strike may be generally recognized under section 40 of the 1999 constitution as the right to assembly and association, but this same constitution recognizes in section 45 that a person’s right stops where it infringes on the rights and freedom of other people. An academic institution should be the hotbed for liberty of ideas and democratic actions, but when such liberty becomes inimical to the institution performing its primary role, which is churning out the manpower needed to drive national development, then it is high time we questioned such liberties.

     

    • Akin Ifeanyi Agunbiade,

    Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.

  • Unilag postpones candidates’ screening

    Unilag postpones candidates’ screening

    Strike by non-academic staff of universities  has compelled the University of Lagos ( Unilag ) to postpone screening of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination ( UTME ) candidates which was billed to start on Monday.

    The screening, earlier scheduled to end on December 15, is for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    In a statement signed in Lagos by Mrs Taiwo Oloyede, a Senior Assistant Registrar of the institution, Unilag said that the screening was postponed indefinitely.

    It said that the strike disrupted academic and administrative activities in the university.

    JAC began the strike also on Monday.

    “The postponement is indefinite; a new date will be announced. “Candidates are enjoined to check the university’s website regularly for updates,” it said.

    Reports say the strike was embarked on by the three non-academic labour unions in the university.

    The unions are Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities ( SSANU ), Non Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists ( NAAT ).

    The three unions downed tools under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee ( JAC ).

    Read also: Buhari urges universities to justify governments’ investment

    Meanwhile, the National President of SSANU, Mr Samson Ugwoke, said the strike was comprehensive, total and indefinite.

    According to him, the strike resulted from Federal Government’s failure to take action on the September 20 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the unions.

    “It is not just the issue of allowance that we are talking about but also the issue of implementation of a court judgment on our staff schools as well as the issue of acute shortfall in workers’ salaries.

    “Most of our people were laid off unjustifiably; they are yet to be reinstated in the university’s payroll.

    “We are tired of being tossed around or seen as not important in the running of the university. We are as important as any other union within the system and need to be given that recognition.

    “After several negotiations with the government, we expected that it sees the need to honour whatever agreement reached, but the reverse is the case,” he said,’’ Ugwoke, also the Chairman of the JAC, said.

    According to the union leader, activities in Nigerian public universities would be paralysed until JAC achieves its aim.

    A former Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities ( SSANU ), Prince Oriwaye Adefolalu, said JAC would not call of the strike until its demands would were met.

    “This morning, we had to shut the gate of the University of Lagos in compliance with a directive from our national executive committee.

    “We are indeed not happy with what is going in our universities. We should be seen as a very critical component in the administration of the universities.

    “While ASUU is in charge of research and academics, we are in charge of the administration, security, medical and general maintenance of infrastructure in the system.

    “We should be treated fairly as there is no way the university can work perfectly without us.’’

    NAN

  • NASU threatens Fed Govt over minimum wage

    NASU threatens Fed Govt over minimum wage

    • Urges conclusion of negotiation before December

    The Federal Government may have more to contend with in the area of industrial unrest, if it fails to commence negotiations on the minimum wage and conclude it before the end of the year.

    The threat, coming from the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), may not be an empty one, bearing in mind that the union, last week, suspended for a month its five-week nationwide strike, in conjunction with two other non-teaching staff unions in universities – the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).

    The union, at its national executive council meeting in Abuja, called on the government to give mandate to the tripartite committee on minimum wage to start work immediately and finish before the end of the year, failing which it has called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to mobilise workers to demand for the minimum wage.

    NASU President Chris Ani said the Federal Government had refused to show good faith in its dealings with workers on the issue of the minimum wage.

    Labour and Employment Minister Senator Chris Ngige had, in June, at this year’s International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, assured labour leaders that the committee would be convened in two weeks, which ought to have been before the end of June.

    Ani lamented that workers were under the burden of a slave wage, which cannot meet their daily needs. “They cannot nourish their children and cannot educate them because the ruling class is bent on the commercialisation of education,” he said.

    He reasoned that now that the government has announced that the country is out of recession, nothing should stall the review of the minimum wage.

    He said:“In the last couple of weeks, there have been series of media reports that Nigeria is now out of recession. We have also watched government officials on television confirming and celebrating what we have read and heard in the media.

    “We, therefore, join other Nigerians to congratulate the government and relevant officials for bringing the country out of recession. While it lasted, issues that had to do with workers’ welfare were relegated to the background. The period was characterised by wage freeze, increase in job insecurity, shortfalls and delays in the payment of salaries, and withholding of other benefits of workers.

    “That is why we are congratulating the government for bringing the country out of recession. However, we in NASU, will only join them in the celebration when workers’ welfare improves, jobs are secured, salaries are paid in full as and when due, wage increase is de-frozen and other withheld benefits are paid.”

    Condemning what he termed government’s ineptitude to grow the productive sector that will create jobs for the unemployed, NASU warned that the union would resist any policy aimed at taking away the jobs of its members, thereby sending them into the labour market.

    NASU also berated governors, who were still owing workers in their states, despite several bailouts, urging the NLC to direct workers to ensure aa total close down of states where salaries are owed for more than two months.

  • SSANU, NASU, NAAT suspend strike in varsities

    SSANU, NASU, NAAT suspend strike in varsities

    Three non-teaching unions of universities under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee have suspended their two weeks strike.

    The unions – Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) – embarked on the strike to compel  the government to implement agreements reached with them.

    Read: Strike: FG, non-teaching staff of universities reach new agreement

    According to the unions, they will resume the strike, if the government fails to implement the agreements.

    The unions began an indefinite strike on September 11, following the government’s failure to meet their 12-point demands, which include non-payment of earned academic allowances, shortfall in salaries of members, poor funding of universities, non-registration of Nigerian Universities Pensions Management Company and others.

    Speaking at a news conference, Chairman of the Joint Action Committee and President of SSANU Comrade Samson Ugokwe directed members to go back to work with effect from Monday.

    Ugokwe said: “The strike by the university-based non-teaching unions was indeed avoidable and would have been averted if government had done the needful. Arising from the series of deliberations and engagements, we have once again gone to the drawing board.

    “We have consequently directed our members to resume work on Monday, September 25, 2017. In one month time, we shall be reviewing the level of compliance with the agreement and shall not hesitate to resume the strike action, if government reneges on the agreements reached or delays in any aspects.”

  • NAAT, NASU, SSANU suspend strike

    NAAT, NASU, SSANU suspend strike

    The Non-teaching staff of Nigerian Universities on Thursday suspended their two-week old strike called to protest the non -implementation of agreement reached with the Federal Government.

    The non-teaching staff under the auspices of Joint Action Committee (JAC) embarked on strike on September 11 over the non-implementation of its 12- point demand.

    The National Chairman of JAC, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, announced the suspension of the strike during a press conference held at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

    The unions comprised the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).

    The unions’ demands include the payment of earned allowances to members, a review of the governance system in government-owned universities and improved funding in line with UNESCO recommendations.

    The unions also demanded the provisions of infrastructure in universities and payment of salary arrears being owed members, implementation of the National Industrial Court judgment on university staff schools and the registration of NUPEMCO.

    Others are implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for Technologists as well as the improvement of teaching and learning facilities in the universities.

    Ugwoke said a template had been developed towards addressing the issues in contention.

    He said: “We hope that this will be a panacea to the continued conflicts between the university based non-teaching staff unions and the federal government.

    ”We have developed an actionable template with specific time frames to implement salient aspects of the agreement.

    “Based on the foregoing and following exhaustive and extensive consultations with our various union organs, we hereby announce the suspension of the strike embarked upon by the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU.”

    NAN

  • NLC names states not utilising bail out fund

    NLC names states not utilising bail out fund

    TEN states have misspent the bail out funds and the Paris Club refund, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said yesterday.

    The NLC made good its threat to “name and shame” states that refused to pay workers or make public the bailout funds and the Paris Club refund they got.

    The congress also warned the government against approving another increase in electricity tariff, saying it will mobilise its affiliates, social partners and other Nigerians to resist any further increase when Nigerians were yet to get a good service foe the previous increase, which has been declared illegal by the court.

    NLC President Ayuba Wabba, who spoke at the National Executive Council meeting of the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) in Abuja, said six of the 10 states were in a terrible situation, pointing out that the congress had directed all states chapters whose members are owed more than three months salaries to declare an industrial action.

    While reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’s disappointment with the governors over the utilisation of the funds, Wabba had told The Nation that the congress was compiling a list of governors who failed to spend the funds on workers’ salaries.

    Wabba said: “Out of the 36 states, we have 10 bad case scenario and out of this 10, we have six terrible ones. We have promised to name and shame them. Those states include Imo that has been paying workers salaries in percentage and has not declared utilisation of the bail out fund and Paris Club refund. It is part of the states that ICPC has mentioned in fund diversion.

    “They paid 40 percent pension to their pensioners without their consent and provided a form for them to sign under duress. That is not allowed in law. We have Bayelsa, which has between five to 10 months arrears. Ondo is owing between four and six, Ekiti (five to eight), Benue (five to eight) and Kogi, which is the worst case scenario.

    “We have three categories of workers in Kogi. We have 40 per cent that are being paid up to date, we have 25 per cent that has not been paid between eight and 16 months and another 25 per cent that has not been paid between eight and 21 months. In all, the sectors, they have categorised the workers into three categories.

    “We also have the case of Osun which is also paying in percentage, but is up to date. Ebonyi, unilaterally, without discussion with the union tried to reduce the salaries by certain percentage and have also not made available records of utilisation of the Paris Club refund.

    “We have the case of Zamfara, which is the only state that has not implemented the minimum wage and all attempt (including agreements they have signed) to get them to make available records of utilisation of those funds have failed. The last one is, Abia which has a problem with the parastatals. On the average, other states are above board.

    The NLC chief went on: “As I speak to you, both Zamfara and Benue are on strike and I am aware that Kogi has issued a notice, which is in conformity with the decision we took at our last NEC meeting that any state with liability of more than three months should start an action and we will be there to support them.”

    Speaking on the statement credited to the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Power that one of the problem in the power sector was low electricity tariff, Wabba said workers will not accept any further increase in tariff.

    He said: “A few days ago, I received a letter from the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission informing us that they want to hold town hall meetings where they want consumers and other stakeholder to contribute. What immediately came to my mind is an attempt again to increase tariff when we have not been able to get out of the one they illegally increased by 45 percent.

    “The twin issue of fuel price increase and electricity tariff has made nonsense of the minimum wage. We have not been able to justify that 45 percent increase, but now, they are coming again. Let me say emphatically that NLC as an organisation and all our affiliates will resist any attempt to increase the electricity tariff again.

    “We have gone to court to challenge their action and the court made pronouncement that the process they followed to effect the last increase was illegal and, therefore, set it aside. Here we are; even to respect that court order has become a problem. We must continue to respect the rule of law. We are still on that issue because no court of law has set aside that judgement.

    “Let us warn those people again because, for them, they must continue to feast on us. If this happens, it means more industries will close and it also means more darkness because the more they increase the tariff, the more darkness we have and more burden on the Nigerian worker. Therefore, we must situate our policies within the context of how it can improve the life of ordinary Nigerian.”

    Speaking on the economic challenge facing the nation, Wabba said: “There is no doubt that our country is passing through very difficult challenges and I think those challenges are to strengthen us, give us hope and make us to think more and be able to respond to issues that affect us. Economies do bubble and burst. Therefore we must not be lamenting that we are in recession or getting out of recession.

    “What matters is how do we put food on the table of the ordinary Nigerian; how do we drive our processes to ensure that industries are working? Once industries don’t work and we don’t produce, but continue to import, the situation will continue because there will always be crave for foreign exchange for us to import and because we don’t export anything, that issue will continue.

    “Our focus must be that our economic model is anchored around the people and around the issues of social justice. Once we don’t do that, then the problem will continue. That is why we have continuously engage the process, including options that are going to work.

    “For instance, the issue of taxation. It is only workers today that pay the correct tax while those that have more than enough, including those with stolen funds, don’t pay tax. Why should you continue to overburden the worker that is already paying the correct tax with more taxation?

    “If I am paying correct tax through pay as you earn, if means that I am paying correct tax and to introduce more tax means double jeopardy. If we are able to access the stamp duty alone, we will be able to generate over two trillion naira per annum. These are issues that we need to address. You cannot continue to rob the poor to make sure that the rich continue to live large.”

    Earlier in his address, NASU National President Comrade Chris Ani said the agitation for restructuring and fiscal federalism were attempts to divert attention from misgovernance and ineptitude the nation has been going through, adding that Nigerians should not be distracted by elements that have actively participated in the looting and mismanagement of our economy and can be found in the two major political parties.

    Ani said what workers needed at this point was time is not whether more power should be given to states, but to know how they have managed the power at their disposal.

    Congratulating the government and its officials for bringing the economy out of recession, Ani said the union will only join the celebration when workers’ “welfare improves; jobs are secured; salaries are paid in full as and when due; wage increase is de-frozen and other withheld benefits are paid”.