Joint Action Committee of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have announced the commencement of a 14-day warning strike, with effect from October 5 to October 19.

This is coming on the heels of the insistence by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to continue with its 6 months old strike over the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and decay in the university system.

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This disclosure was made in a statement jointly signed by the National President, SSANU, Samson Ugwoke; and General Secretary, NASU, Peter Adeyemi.

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They stated that the strike was premised on the inconsistencies of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System in the payment of salaries, and the non-payment of Earned Allowances to members.

Both unions listed some of the issues that led to the strike action, which includes; non-payment of national minimum wage and retirement benefits to our members, the delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU Agreements, the non-payment of benefits to retired members, as well as academic staff usurping the headship of non-academic units, and poor funding of state universities.

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Part of the statement also read, “Please note that this warning strike is a prelude to a full-blown, total and indefinite industrial action, if the grievances highlighted above are not properly addressed.’’

While addressing Journalists after a joint congress of the 2 unions in front of the University of Lagos Senate building on Friday, the Branch Chairmen of UNILAG chapters of SSANU and NASU, Olusola Sowunmi and Kehinde Ajibade, said they were now rejecting IPPIS because the government refused to take care of the peculiarities of the university system, after it had earlier promised to do so.

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Sowunmi said, “We are disappointed with the turnout of things. The IPPIS failed to meet our expectations and our retired members are not being paid as at when due. Also, we are not being paid the new minimum wage that other agencies of government have been enjoying. The new wage is a matter of law as it was an act of parliament.”

On his own, Ajibade said if the government could find means of paying other workers the new minimum wage, it should also pay them.

He said, “Just as the government has given schools notice of resumption, our National leadership also gave us the notice to announce this warning strike over a month ago. After the two weeks, if nothing is done to address our concerns, we will meet and deliberate on the next line of action.”