By Cross Udo, Abuja
The National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, has said it will begin a three-day warning strike on Wednesday over the nonpayment of the four months withheld salaries as directed by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that the President had in October last year directed that the university workers who embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022 over the inability of the then government to address their concerns be paid four months.
The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari invoked the “no work, no pay” policy, which meant that the university workers would not be paid salaries while on strike.
While the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has been paid for the four months as directed by the President, NAAT has yet to collect anything despite its protest and several correspondences with the relevant government officials.
In a statement to announce the three-day warning strike, signed by its President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, NAAT explained that the decision to embark on the warning strike was sanctioned at the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, emergency virtual meeting.
The statement read, “We are constrained to notify you of the decisions of the National Executive Council (NEC) of NAAT. At the end of its emergency virtual meeting held on Wednesday, March 13th, 2024, it was resolved that a three-day warning strike and a nationwide protest on the first day commencing from Wednesday, March 20th, to Friday, March 22nd, 2024, be embarked upon.
“This is to enable the union to press home its demand for the payment of withheld salaries of NAAT members as approved by the Presidency.
“This became necessary due to the unfortunate circumstances leading to the payment of four months withheld salaries of members of a sister union and the exclusion of members of ΝΑΛΤ.
“The Minister may wish to note that, despite his pronouncement and assurances at the high-level stakeholders meeting held at the Idris Abdulkadir Auditorium, NUC Secretariat on Thursday, 11th January 2024, the payment of the withheld salaries will be across the board and the union’s letter of appeal for equity, fairness, and justice dated 16th February 2024 for which the office of the Minister did not deem it necessary to either respond or acknowledge and till date the Government has failed to fulfil its promises,” Nwokoma said
Therefore, he called on the federal government to take necessary action or be held responsible for any disruption of academic activities in our universities as we embark on this action.
