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N22 billion Earned Allowance: NASU, SSANU begin 3-day protest
Modupe Shodeinde
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has directed its branches in universities and inter-university centres to commence a three-day protest in regards to the distribution of the federal N22 billion Earned Allowance (EA) to university staff unions.
The protest strike is to begin as from today till Friday, November 12, over the sharing formula of the N22.127 billion earned allowances.
The leadership of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) gave the directive after a meeting held on Monday, November 8.
The unions said the protest strike is to also compel the Federal Government to pay the arrears of the Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment as agreed at a meeting with Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige in August.
According to JAC, the Federal Government allowed the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) 75 per cent of the Earned Allowances, with the residual 25 per cent distributed to three non-teaching unions.
The circular to branch chairmen of NASU and SSANU, dated November 8, directed the branches to convey a meeting of JAC of the two unions on Wednesday, November 10, and from there declare a three-day protest which will end on Friday.
The two-page circular signed by the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, and National President of SSANU Mohammed Ibrahim said the protest would centre on the contentious sharing formula for the next trenches of the N22.127 billion to be released by the Federal Government for the payment of Earned Allowance at the rate of 75 per cent to academic staff and 25 per cent to non-teaching staff.
JAC said the protest should also focus on the refusal of the government to pay the arrears of the Minimum Wage consequential adjustment agreed at a meeting with the Federal Government on August 26.
The leadership of NASU and SSANU disclosed that the meeting was held in the Office of the Minister of Labour and Employment, where both parties agreed that payment would be made to members before the end of October 2021.
‘The protest should be within the campuses and each branch is free to determine the activities that would be carried out on each of the protests,’ they said.
JAC also encouraged the branches to organise a press conference, write and submit protest letters to vice-chancellors for transmission to the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) and hold prayer sessions.
‘As the branch protest marks the beginning of a series of industrial actions to be undertaken by JAC, you are to await further directive after the 3-day protest as the national JAC leadership will be meeting on Monday, November 15, and the outcome will be communicated to members.’
JAC warned that ‘every branch must comply and adhere strictly to these directives as no excuses will be entertained.’
