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SSANU Begins 3-day Warning Strike​

December 17, 2018

The unions accused the federal government of disobeying judgment of the National Industrial Court that had, two years ago, asked that teachers in university staff schools sacked by government be reinstated.

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The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) will, today, commence a three-day nationwide protest following disobedience to a court judgment on staff schools by the Federal Government and also, the inability of government to keep to agreements, especially on Earned Allowance.

SSANU and other two unions, the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior SSATURAI had, in a joint resolution at its 35th regular National Executive Council meeting at Enugu State University of Science and Technology resolved to embark on the warning strike.

The unions accused the federal government of disobeying judgment of the National Industrial Court that had, two years ago, asked that teachers in university staff schools sacked by government be reinstated. They also accused the federal government of being adamant in honouring the judgment to recall the sacked teachers of staff schools.

SSANU President Comrade Chijioke Ugwoke also disclosed that government has not released the N8 billion Earned Allowance it promised to them, which the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, promised government would pay at a conciliation meeting on March 13.

“Several months after the agreement was reached, the money has yet to be released. The delay in payment has become a source of discomfort and agitation by members of the three unions…” said Ugwoke

SSANU took it up from there: “The federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, had informed the Chairman of the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU via an August 9, 2018, letter that approval had been given for the release of N8 billion being payment of Earned Allowances for Non-Teaching Staff in the Universities and requested for templates for the payments to the unions. It appears that the letters being sent to the unions are delay ploy by the 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 university staff schools, the union said “the status of the workers remain the same despite the NIC ruling of December 5, 2016.”