The Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo State, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) chapters, have joined ongoing two-week warning strike of the unions.
The two unions told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the strike was in compliance with the directive of the committee.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the two unions had last Friday directed their branches across the country to embark on a two-week warning strike from Monday.
SSANU Chairman, Comrade Temidayo Temola, alleged that the Federal Government (FG) has failed to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA) reached with the union in October 2020 and February 2021, respectively.
According to him, the warning strike becomes necessary, because most state-owned universities are underfunded, thus struggling to survive.
“OAUSTECH’s wage bill is supposed to be N65 million, but what we get is not enough to pay salaries, as we are also being owed four months salary.
“Now, coupled with series of deductions that we don’t even understand, the strike is necessary,” Temola said.
Corroborating his counterpart, NASU Chairman, Comrade Peter Akindehinde, said that the branch has complied with the national directive to go on the warning strike.
According to him, the warning strike would also serve as a wake-up call for state governments to address the union’s needs.
“Aside the nationwide strike, we also have our own issues, which we want the state government to address,” Akindehinde said.
the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), currently on a nationwide strike, began a four-week strike on February 14, which was extended for another eight weeks on March 14.
The union is agitating for the adoption of the Universities Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) payment platform against the FG’s Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
ASUU is also demanding for the fulfilment of its 2009 agreement with the FG and the face lifting of dilapidated structures in public universities, among others.