Non-Academic University Unions begin 3-day National Protest; No-work, No-pay_ FG

The Joint Action Committee of Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has commenced a three-day national protest to push for a better deal in the sharing formula of N40 billion earned allowances to university-based unions.

The protests follow an earlier statement by the NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, and the SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim calling on all members in branches of Universities and Inter-University centres across the nation to embark on industrial action.

At the start of the protests at the University of Abuja, the National President of NASU, Hassan Makolo said they will not accept a sharing formula of 75 percent to Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and 25 percent to the non teaching staff.

On the Integrated Payroll Payment Implementation Scheme IPPIS, the workers say the payment system has failed to meet their peculiarities, and in its place have come up with an alternative package- Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System, UPPPS.

ASUU suspended a nine-month-old strike in December 2020, after the federal government suspended the use of IPPIS for salary payment and approved N40 billion for Earned academic allowance and N30 billion as universities revitalisation funds.

Other issues include the delay in the renegotiation of FGN, NASU and SSANU 2009 agreement, non-payment of retirement benefits of outgone members, neglect and poor funding of state universities, and non-constitution of visitation panels for universities.

The protesters in Abuja comprising members occupied the main gate of UNIABUJA Main Campus.

Members of the union are also protesting in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State; Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State capital; the University Of Ilorin, Kwara State capital and, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos State.

The federal government have said that it has addressed most of the issues raised by the university workers warning that it will enforce the no-work, no-pay rule if they embarked on the industrial action on Tuesday as planned.

Ngige stressed that if the workers embark on their planned “forcible holiday” their employers might be right to deduct their salaries.