Members of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, are threatening to join their striking colleague, the Academic Staff Union of Universities over Federal Government’s recalcitrance to re-instate teachers of University Staff Schools.
To this end, they will this week commence three days protest nationwide to also register their displease over the inability of government to honour the payment of about N8billion owed them as Earned Allowances.
The resolution to embark on the protest was reached at the 35th regular National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
SSANU in the resolution signed by its President, Comrade Samson Ugwoke and Public Relations Officer, Comrade Abdussobur Salaam, accused the government of flouting judgment of the National Industrial Court, Abuja.
The industrial court had two years ago asked that teachers in University Staff Schools who were made redundant be reinstated with immediate effect.
The union also accused the government of insincerity, especially with the release of funds to settle outstanding allowances.
At a palliative meeting supervised by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, he had announced that the Federal Government will pay the three non teaching staff unions within the university system N8 billion as their Earned Allowance.
The resolution read, “The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education had informed the Chairman of the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU via a letter dated 9th August 2018, that approval had been given for the release of Eight Billion Naira being payment of Earned Allowances for Non- Teaching Staff in the Universities and requested for templates for the payments to the unions.”
Continuing, it said, “it appears that the letters being sent to the unions are a delay ploy by the Federal Ministry of Education as the letters in themselves are needless, because the unions had always made their positions known since the irregular disbursement of N23 billion to ASUU in 2017.”
On the technical dismissal of members in the University Staff schools, it said “the status of the workers in the University Staff Schools remained the same despite the National Industrial Court ruling of December 5, 2016 which had ruled that the workers in the University Staff Schools are employees of the Federal Government as the Staff Schools remain an integral part of the University system.”
“Members have been fully mobilised to participate in the protests, while branches are advised to carry along the media and the security agencies accordingly,” it stated.
