The excitement that greeted the suspension of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Wednesday maybe short-lived, as the non-teaching staff unions have threatened to down tools.
The other unions include the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.
They are demanding a fair sharing of the universities’ workers’ shared allowance, which they said the government danced to ASUU’s tone and gave it a disproportionate part of 40 billion naira.
Responding to the details that led to ASUU calling of the strike, the non-teaching staff unions alleged that the government gave ASUU about 75 per cent of the earned allowances, thereby leaving a paltry 25 per cent for the other three unions.
Ibeji Nwokomma, National President of NAAT, said at a press conference in Abuja that government should correct the alleged imbalance.
“My union is rejecting the sharing formula of the earned allowances as it is being done presently by the government. Government has allocated 75 per cent of the money to ASUU and 25 per cent to all non-teaching unions in the universities. That is grossly inadequate,” Nwokomma said.
“That is robbing Peter to pay Paul and using divide and rule in the university system. No union, not even ASUU, has the monopoly of opening or closing of schools through strikes; other unions also have that capacity to ensure that the system does not work.
“Secondly, my union, ASUU and other unions negotiated with the government. So, payment of earned allowances will be based on unions. It should be on the basis of the 2009 agreements. That is where the earned allowances are derived from.
“So lumping my union with other non-teaching staff is neither here nor there and totally unacceptable to us.”
Nwokomma added that NAAT signed a memorandum of understanding with the government on November 15, 2020, where it was clearly stated that the government would define what each union would get from the N40bn.
“My union is asking that our own earned allowances should be specified, just like they did to ASUU. If nothing is done, we will close down the system until we are fairly treated.
“Government should convene a meeting immediately to settle this issue, otherwise, any wish that schools will reopen, they are just wasting their time; schools will not reopen until these issues are adequately taken care of,” he warned.
The NAAT leader said he was making efforts to get in touch with the director and the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education to draw their attention to the brewing crisis.
Seemilarly, SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said that his union would not accept what he called the lopsided sharing formula.
“Honestly, I believe that this remains a rumour even though I know it could be true; I have seen 75 per cent and 25 per cent.
“But truly, if it is that, we have stated in no uncertain terms that we will not take that kind of lopsided allocation again. What is the scientific measurement used to share this money? We have stated before now that the least we can take is 50-50, they (ASUU members) are not more in numbers.”
“We will not waste time in ensuring that we mobilise our members to also fight for our own. What it means is that government will only listen to a fight. Most of us are administrators for God’s sake and that is why we don’t see strikes as fashionable, but when we are pushed to the wall, we will react.”
