JAC Chairman hails NASU, SSANU, NAATs members’ resilience in strike

Samson Ugwoke, Chairman, Joint Action Committee of the non-teaching staff of universities, has hailed the members for their resilience so far in the ongoing nationwide strike.
Ugwoke gave the commendation on Friday in Lagos when he reviewed the effectiveness of the over two month-old industrial action in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
The non-teaching labour unions of universities comprising the Non Academic Staff Union, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the National Association of Academic Technologists under the aegis of JAC, on December 4, 2017, began what they said was “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike’’.
The striking workers are protesting the non-implementation of the agreement they entered into with the Federal Government in 2009 and the sharing formula of the  N23 billion released by the government as part of earned allowances of workers of federal universities across the country.
According to the chairman who also doubles as the National President of SSANU, so far, there has been no concrete and positive sign on the side of government to end the strike.
Ugwoke said: “For now, the strike continues and we are happy with the level of compliance by our members.
“However, we have been having some meetings with government which has not really indicated any serious commitment that will facilitate an end to the strike.
“Last week Friday, precisely a week today, the leadership of JAC had a meeting with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.
“What we took away from that meeting was just promissory and nothing more.
“There has been no definite offer from government, it has been just pleading and promises just for us to end the strike.
“Having said this, we hope to convene a meeting in about a week from today to relay all the promises of the minister before the National Executive Committee of the striking unions.’’
The unionist regretted that so far, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had not made much effort to intervene in the situation.