The meeting between the Federal Government team and 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) ended without any resolution.
Consequently, the meeting has been rescheduled to take place on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
This is as the indefinite strike embarked upon by SSANU and NASU has brought Nigeria’s public universities to a grinding halt, paralysing academic activities and shutting down clinics, administrative blocks and hostels nationwide.
Already, the University of Maiduguri is among the universities that have officially announced the postponement of examinations.
The JAC of SSANU and NASU met with the government team on Monday in a bid to resolve the differences that led to the indefinite strike, which commenced on April 30 after the expiration of the one-month ultimatum given by the two non-teaching staff unions for the government to conclude the renegotiation exercise on the 2009 Agreement.
The government had unilaterally awarded a 30 percent salary increase without going through the collective bargaining process, as recommended by labour law, but the unions rejected the offer and demanded 40 percent.
After the rejection, the government issued a circular withdrawing the offer without explanation to the unions.
At the Monday meeting, which was at the instance of the Minister of Education, the two parties could not reach a resolution to their differences.
It was reliably gathered that the government, at the meeting, explained the circumstances behind the withdrawal of the initial 30 percent offer and pleaded with the striking unions to suspend the ongoing strike as they work towards resolving the contentious issues.
Sources at the meeting hinted that the government’s plea could not yield any result as the union leaders lacked the power to take such a decision without recourse to the organs of the unions, hence the meeting was adjourned to Tuesday.
Meanwhile, before the meeting, while giving an update on the strike, the SSANU National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, declared the action a resounding success, with 100 percent compliance, and vowed there would be no retreat.
“It’s very effective—total shutdown for now,” Ibrahim said. “All clinics, administrative blocks, hostels, departments, faculty offices, admin offices, finance offices—even those providing so-called essential services—have been ordered to withdraw.”
He said what the unions were calling for was fair treatment of their members, adding that the minimum benchmark of their demand was 40 percent.
He disclosed that the striking unions had been called to a meeting by 3 p.m. on Monday and that they would go with their established demands.
“Our position remains the same: we’ve asked for equity, consideration, fairness—so nothing has changed,” he said. “We will go and listen to them at today’s 3 p.m. meeting, but the strike is on.”
It is believed that the government’s second invitation over the weekend offers a glimmer of hope for resolving the differences.
Meanwhile, the authorities of the University of Maiduguri, UNIMAID, have announced the postponement of e-examinations as a result of the ongoing strike.
In a memo announcing the postponement from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, the university said the postponement had become necessary because of the ongoing strike.
“In view of the Non-Teaching Staff strike, the above exams will be rescheduled until the current strike is suspended,” read the directive from the Exams and Time-Table Coordinator, Prof. Dani Mamman.
“Kindly inform the staff involved to note and comply.”
With non-teaching staff withdrawing en masse, students face indefinite delays in examinations, registrations and services, exposing the fragility of Nigeria’s higher education system amid prolonged labour disputes.
The unions warn of deeper paralysis unless fairness prevails. – AFP.
