Varsity workers begin one week strike today

 

Education Minister

Varsity workers under the aegis of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) will today begin a one-week warning strike.

The strike is in sympathy with their members in the state universities, especially, in the Southeast and Southwest, whose governments have refused to implement the agreement signed on the development of the university system in 2000. 

SSANU’s President Comrade Promise Adewusi, said the job boycott would continue if the crises in the universities are not addressed. 

Other unions involved are the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT). 

To mobilise them for the strike which the unions vowed would not end, except the Federal Government ensure that the state governments implement the agreement, SSANU has sent letters to its branch chairmen in all the universities, to ensure that all workers comply with the action. 

The letter written to all branch chairmen, was titled: One week warning strike. It reads: 

“The National Executive Council of our great union at its emergency meeting held (today 22 October, 2010) at the National Secretariat, Gwagwalada- Abuja reviewed and considered the 21-day ultimatum given to state governments owing universities to reach agreements to implement the 2009 agreement reached with a view to repositioning the Nigerian university system. SSANU noted that no concrete steps have been taken to resolve the crisis in the state universities concerned, even when the ultimatum had long expired. 

“NEC therefore, directs its branches all over the nation to proceed on a one-week sympathy strike with effect from Monday 25 October, 2010 in solidarity with our branches in the affected state universities. We count on your usual support and co-operation.” 

Also addressing reporters in Abuja at the weekend, Comrade Adewusi said: “We have just completed our emergency NEC meeting arising from the 21-day ultimatum which we gave to the Federal Government due to the anomie that has befallen some of our state universities particularly over the implementation of the 2000 agreement that were reached as a basis for uplifting the Nigerian university system. 

“That agreement has become a benchmark for moving our university from the state of rust to a state where they will begin to accomplish their objective which is producing viral and viable graduates as well as conducting meaningful research.”   

Some of the universities affected are: Lagos State University, Tai Solarin 

University of Education, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Cross River State University of Technology, Rivers State University of Education, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Anambra State University, Enugu State University, Evan Enwerem University, Imo State University, Abia State University and Ebonyi State University. 

However, he added that the strike was not against the Federal Government and those states that had implemented, but because the movement is a solidarity and “an injury to one is injury to all.” 

He said: “We cannot allow our brothers and sisters in these 11 state universities that had not implemented to continue to wallow in their sorry states. 

“Some of them have been on strike for the past four months without salaries.