…as FG commences payment of minimum wage arrears to members
By Michael Oche
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has acknowledged that the Federal Government has begun paying its members the arrears of the consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage, but denied that it plans to suspend its ongoing industrial action.
NASU General Secretary of the union, Peters Adeyemi made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday while reacting to reports in some section of the media that the Union plans to suspend its strike.
He said the union will be meeting Tuesday, in Abuja to consult with its members on the state of the strike.
Adeyemi disclosed that no other financial commitment made to the unions has been actionized except the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage, saying the payment is not enough for the striking workers to suspend the ongoing industrial action.
In his words, “There are seven demands which we have gotten the commitment of the government to implement. There are six outstanding items yet to be acted upon. We cannot be because of the ongoing payment which is yet to be concluded to be talking about suspension of the strike.
“However, we are consulting with our members. A consultation meeting has been scheduled for today, Tuesday. But it is very naive and mischievous for anyone to start saying we are planning to suspend the strike. I read in a section of the media that reported that we are planning to suspend the strike on Tuesday. Whoever reports that is a paid agent of the Federal Government. Let me use this opportunity to debunk the report.”
While repudiating the report further, Adeyemi revealed that NASU cannot take a unilateral decision to suspend a strike that is being prosecuted under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of both NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
He added: “There are four unions in the universities and inter-university centres that are involved in this struggle. How can any reporter claim that NASU is meeting to suspend the strike? There is no way NASU can suspend the strike when SSANU is clamouring for an extension of the strike by another one month to allow the government to address our grievances.”
