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Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja
The Federal Government on Friday told members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of universities, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities and the National Association of Academic Technologists that they cannot go ahead with their planned industrial action slated to start by midnight.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said this in an interview with State House correspondents shortly after a meeting he had with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The minister said going ahead with the planned strike would run contrary to the International Labour Organisation’s statute on social dialogue and principles at work.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige says any strike by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities would be illegal and might prompt the ministry to take legal actions.
Dr Ngige while speaking to State House correspondents after a private meeting with the president in Abuja, said the last conversation the government had with the non-teaching staff ended with a plan by both parties to meet next week to continue negotiations, therefore any planned strike before that will be regarded as a breakdown in negotiations.
He added that if the negotiation and what has been agreed is not obeyed, then the ministry might have to refer the dispute upwards from the industrial arbitration panel to the national industrial court.
Strike begins tomomorrow, varsity unions write branches vanguardngr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vanguardngr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Begin Strike On Friday, Varsity Unions Direct Branches
The unions said five of its demands had not been attended to by the Nigerian government while committees were only set up to address.
by Saharareporters, New York
Feb 04, 2021
Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions have written their branches to commence industrial action from Friday.
A copy of the notice signed by SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, was obtained by our correspondent on Thursday.
The PUNCH reports that the non-teaching staff in the universities had announced that they would embark on a nationwide strike from February 5, 2021 over the Nigerian government’s handling of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, sharing formula of the N40 billion earned academic allowances and non-payment of arrears of the new minimum wage.