ASUU blasts JAC over ongoing strike at varsities
.Insists earned allowance only for academic staff
- Says lecturers won’t go on strike, commends FG on agreement
.Why we’re on strike- SSANU, NASU, NAAT
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has criticised the current industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) which comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
ASUU added that the unions’ poor interpretation of the recent payment by the Federal Government, erroneously led them into embarking on the present strike.
One of ASUU Zonal leaders for the North Central Zone, Dr. Theophilus Lagi, told The Daily Times in an exclusive interaction that the earned academic allowance payment made by the Federal Government was strictly for its members especially those with various student workloads and supervisions, while the joint action committee members were given their share of earned allowance.
Meanwhile, ASUU has disclosed that it has no intention of embarking on any industrial action, since the federal Government has kept faith with the recently signed agreement with the union beginning with the release of N23billion academic earned allowances.
The Daily Times recalls that the strike embarked upon by the three non-academic staff unions of Nigerian universities is in continuation of the earlier industrial action embarked on September 11, 2017.
The National President (SSANU) and Chairman JAC, Samson Ugwoke, had while announcing the decision to embark on the present action, said it was in response to the failure of the Federal Government to honour the 10-points agreement reached with them on September 20, 2017.
Ugwoke said: “You will recall that we addressed a press conference on September 21, 2017, where we informed you that in one months’ time, we shall be reviewing the level of compliance with the agreement and shall not hesitate to resume the strike if government reneges on the agreements reached or delays in any aspects. It was following that press conference, that we directed our members to resume work on September 25, 2017.
“It is therefore sad to report that over two months after the MoU was signed, the situation that warranted the strike in September remains the same. Nothing has changed. In line with our decision to review the position after a month, we note most painfully, that none of the matters that prompted the strike has been addressed. Rather, it appears that government through its officials has decided to orchestrate an evil plot to factionalise the university, cause disharmony and disaffection within the system, thereby destroying the emerging industrial peace we have been witnessing in recent times.”
The JAC leader, also expressed the union’s dismay that the N23billion paid in by government has been cornered to be a payment for the ASUU ‘’for their so-called Earned Academic Allowances”, left the three non-teaching staff unions with N4.6 billion (11 per cent), as earned allowance.
Augustine Okezie Abuja
