The non-teaching staff unions of Nigerian government
universities under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) have
suspended their industrial action.
JAC comprises
members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the
Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), and the National Association
of Academic Technologists (NAAT). National President of the three unions, Sam
Ugwoke, announced the suspension at a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja, the
Federal Capital Territory.
The decision
followed the agreement reached with the unions by the Federal Government, after
eight hours of negotiations since last night. Minister of Labour and Employment,
Dr Chris Ngige, who led the Federal Government delegation at the meeting, gave
assurances that the government has agreed to address all 12 issues raised by
the striking workers. The strike was suspended two weeks after the unions
declared a “total and comprehensive” industrial action.
Some of the
demands of the striking workers include the immediate payment of earned
allowances and a review of the universities governance system among other
issues. The decision is a welcome development for stakeholders in the education
sector, as well as students of government-owned universities as the Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had also suspended its strike with
conditions.
ASUU’s decision
was announced by its president, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, on Monday in Abuja
after a reconciliation meeting with a Federal Government team. Professor
Ogunyemi had explained that the suspension was conditional, as it depends on
whether the Federal Government would fufil its parts of the agreements.
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