The entire non-teaching staff at federal universities may soon go on strike, as the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has signaled its readiness to commence industrial action beginning November 13, 2024.
NAAT will join the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), both of which are already on strike due to withheld salaries.
Mohammed Ibrahim, the President of SSANU, has stated that there will be no retreat from the strike until their demands are fulfilled.
Following a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, NAAT President Ibeji Nwokoma revealed that despite President Tinubu’s waiver and approval to disburse five half-month salaries owed to NAAT members, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has yet to implement this directive.
Nwokoma explained, “Consequent upon the above, the union, having reviewed the situation critically, decided to give the Federal Government an additional two weeks, effective from October 30, 2024. Meanwhile, the NEC has directed all branches in universities, polytechnics, and Colleges of Education to hold a nationwide protest to emphasize our demands.
“Within the two-week ultimatum, branches have been instructed to convene congresses and conduct a referendum to determine if the union will proceed with a strike once the ultimatum expires on November 13, 2024. If no positive response is received from the government by the end of this period, the union will initiate a national protest that will lead to a total and indefinite strike without further notice to the government.”
The association has indicated that its decision stems from a commitment to the tertiary education system, aiming to avoid disruptions to the academic calendar, which would impact research, practical teaching, laboratory work, workshops, farm, and studio practices, leading to significant losses in resources.
NASU, SSANU, and NAAT members previously went on strike on March 21, 2022, a strike that ended in August 2022 due to industrial disagreements with the Federal Government. During this period, the government withheld salaries for the months workers were on strike, implementing a ‘no work, no pay’ policy.
NAAT issued a three-week ultimatum starting September 30, 2024, demanding the payment of withheld salaries.
NAAT emphasized that it has made multiple attempts to retrieve the withheld salaries from the government, but to no avail, prompting the current threat of strike action.
In an interview on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today,’ Ibrahim remarked, “So, it is not the issue of meeting. The issue is that we want payment and that every procedure has been followed. They can simply direct this payment and, I assure you, in less than 24 hours, we can just refer to our principals and this strike will be suspended.
“Assurances from politicians and government officials are not new to us.”
However, he added that the mandate from their members is for this strike to be indefinite, stating, “We will only resume when we get the alerts.”
The actions taken by the unions have severely affected operations across public universities in Nigeria, resulting in the closure of classes and other facilities.
