…threaten indefinite strike
By Precious Oham
The leadership of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, NASU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, SSANU, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE, on Tuesday, led their members on a peaceful protest at the main entrance of the Institution.
The members of the non-teaching staff of the institution are demanding that the federal government pay their four months withheld salaries.
The aggrieved members carried placards with different inscriptions such as “NASU/SSANU says no to injustice in the payemmt of withheld salaries”, “We are not beggars, FG pay our salaries”, “NASU/SSANU members are not second class citizens” “NASU, we say no signing of MOU and MOA with federal government.”
Addressing journalists, Acting Chairman of NASU in FUOYE, Comrade Ayeni Abraham decried that the federal government has been insensitive to the plight of its members.
He blamed the past administration for failing to heed to their demands adding that the present administration of Bola Tinubu has been making unfulfilled promises and signing Memorandum of Understanding without any result.
He however, warned that failure of the FG to address the issues confronting the union may lead to an indefinite strike action that will paralyze academic activities in the institution.
His words: “We are protesting because of our four months withheld salaries by the federal government. It is so unfortunate that we are still operating under this level. This money we are agitating for is long overdue.
“During the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022, we were agitating for this money and as at that time our national leadership have been holding series of meetings with the government to pay us this money.
“The FG played insensitivity to the plight of workers. They refused bluntly to pay our money. When the administration of President Bola Tinubu came, we proceeded on the agitation of our money. It was promise upon promise and MoU upon MoU without any result.
“Today, we were given directives from our national headquarters to carry out this protest to demand for payment of four months of arrears of our salaries. Our counterparts from ASUU were payed four months arrears of their salaries to the expense of non teaching staff on campus.
“This is injustice on our part and that is the reason why we are here today to tell the FG to pay our money, to tell the FG that we are suffering and that we are not second class citizens.
“We can no longer bear this hardship again. We are here to register our grievances to the FG to kindly pay our four months withheld salaries. The money is long overdue and this money is our legitimate right. It is what we have worked for.
“After this protest, our national leadership will be having their own protest in Abuja on Thursday. A day after the protest, they will have a meeting. If the FG is ready to pay our money, all these actions will be suspended but if the FG fails, probably it may be total shutdown and we are going to embark on total shutdown which has no date.”
His counterpart and Chairman of SSANU in FUOYE, Comrade Faleye Benjamin said that beyond the four months withheld salaries, members of the union are battling with the harsh conditions of the economy.
He tasked the FG to address the issues noting that strike action should always be the last option in resolving disputes between warring groups.
He said: “We are expecting the FG to do the needful within a short period of time. We are only using this strategy of protest in order not to embark on strike. We believe strike should be the last option because we still believe very much in this country and that is why we are still agitating.
“We are calling on President Tinubu to give an answer to our demands which ranges from four months withheld salaries. If they one that cushion the effects of the hardship on our members, we can go back to the dialogue table on other issues. The effect of the hardship is seriously fighting our members.”