Strike: NAAT To End Salary Disparity Among Varsity Workers, Calls For Re-Negotiation

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has asserted that it will prevent any attempt at salary disparity among University workers by the Federal Government.

The President of NAAT, Ibeji Nwokoma, made this known while speaking to journalists in Abuja.

AllNews Nigeria reports that the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU) had recently warned against differences in the salaries earned by teaching and non-teaching staff of Nigerian universities as alleged detected in the report submitted by the Nimi Briggs-led committee for approval.

Nwokoma said the association has decided to render the news of the different percentage salary allocation to members of tertiary-based unions as fake while threatening to disagree if the news is confirmed valid.

“This clearly is informed by the fact that as a responsible union we found the news to be faked and as stated earlier, it negates all known laws of collective bargaining.

“However, if the axiom that behind every smoke, there is a fire is true, we wish to clearly state the position of our union.

“NAAT will resist any attempt under any guise to introduce disparity in salaries in the universities.

“As that will have its ripple effects by solving a problem and creating multiple hydra-headed additional problems of restiveness, resistance and deep-rooted further struggles, ’’he said.

The President, however, urged the Nimi Briggs committee to resume the negotiation process with the union, advising a more robust approach. 

He further noted that the negotiation committee had been slow and cowardly in deciding on the government's behalf.

Nwokoma also said that the government's decision to enforce the “no work, no pay rule’’ on the university workers was illegal.

“It is also important to remind the government and the general public that the strike action embarked upon by NAAT is legitimate having complied with all laid down procedures and in line with ILO Convention 87.

“Therefore, the stoppage of the payment of our salaries and allowances is unlawful, draconian and contravenes the International best Labour Practices, ‘’he said.

Members of NAAT have been on strike over the failure of the government to meet the demands in the 2009 FGN/NAAT agreement, the payment of the arrears of earned allowances, and the release of the circular for the implementation of CONTISS 14 & 15 for Academic Technologists, among others.