SSANU, NASU Begin 3-day Warning Protest Over N22,127bn Earned Allowances ‘unfair’ Sharing Formula

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have directed its member to proceed on a three-day protest over the sharing formula of the recently approved N22,127 billion earned allowances for the four universities-based unions.

The unions had earlier rejected the sharing formula of the recent approved N22,127 billion for Earned Allowances, where 75 per cent of the money was allocated to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); leaving 25 percent for the other three unions.

JAC had in a letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, expressed unfairness in the sharing formula, even as it further call for the Minister’s intervention on the matter. According to a memo to all the branches signed by the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi and the National President of SSANU, Comrade Mohammad Ibrahim, its members across the country are to mobilize for a three-day protest starting from Wednesday, November 10, 2022.

Titled “Directive to embark on a three-day protest”, the mono read: “The National leadership of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU & SSANU held Zoom meeting on Monday, November 8, 2021, to review the latest development in our Universities and Inter-University Centres and decided as follows:

“That all our branches should mandatorily call a general meeting of JAC of NASU and SSANU on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, and from there, declare and commence 3-day protest from Wednesday, 10th – Friday, November 12, 2021.

“The protest should be centred on the proposed provocative formula to be used for sharing the next tranche of N22.127b to be released by the Federal Government for the payment of Earned Allowance at the rate of 75% to Academics and 25% to Non-Teaching Staff should also be against the refusal on the part of the Federal Government to pay the Arrears of the Minimum Wage Consequential Adjustment as agreed at the last meeting of JAC with the Federal Government on August 26, 2021, at the Office of the Minister of Labour and Employment that the payment would be made to the members of NASU and SSANU 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 day of the protest which essentially must take on board the following: Press Conference, Writing and submission of protest letter to respective Vice-Chancellors for transmission to the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prayer Sessions, etc.

“As the branch protest marks the beginning of a series of industrial actions to be undertaken by JAC, you are to await further directives after the 3-day protest as the National JAC leadership will be meeting on Monday, November 15, 2021, and the outcome will be communicated to members. Every branch must comply and adhere strictly to these directives as no excuses will be entertained.”