The National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, has said it will begin a three-day warning strike on Wednesday over the non-payment of four months of withheld salaries as directed by President Bola Tinubu.
The President had, in October 2023, 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 for four months.
The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had invoked the “No work, no pay” policy, which meant that the university workers would not be paid salaries within the period they were on strike.
While members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have been paid for the past four months as directed by the president, members of NAAT are yet to be paid.
In a statement to announce the three-day warning strike, signed by its president, Ibeji Nwokoma, NAAT explained that the decision to embark on the warning strike was sanctioned at the union’s National Executive Council emergency virtual meeting.
The statement read, “We are constrained to notify you of the decisions of the National Executive Council of NAAT at the end of its emergency virtual meeting held on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. It was resolved that a three-day warning strike and a nationwide protest on the first day commencing from Wednesday, March 20 to Friday, March 22, 2024, be embarked upon.
“This is to enable the union to press home its demand for the payment of withheld salaries of members of NAAT 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, in spite of his pronouncement and assurances at the high-level stakeholders meeting held at the Idris Abdulkadir Auditorium, NUC Secretariat on Thursday, January 11, 2024 that the payment of the withheld salaries will be across board and the unions letter of appeal for equity, fairness and justice dated February 16, 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, therefore, called on the Federal Government to do the needful or be held responsible for any disruption of academic activities in universities.