In Nasarawa, striking NAAT members demonstrate

The National Association of Academic Technologists’ Federal University of Lafia branch has joined the nationwide three-day warning strike in protest of the Federal Government’s failure to pay its members’ salaries that had been withheld for four months.

The “No work, no pay” policy was implemented by the former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, guaranteeing that university employees would not be paid during a 2022 strike.

However, in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu issued an order compensating university employees for four months of salary withheld due to their protracted strike due to the then-administration’s failure to resolve their issues.

Speaking on Wednesday during a nonviolent demonstration on university premises, Kenneth Onuh, Chairman of NAAT in FuLafia and North Central Zonal Coordinator, stated that the organization chose to go on a three-day warning strike that would conclude on Friday in order to voice their dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s disregard for the needs of its members.

He clarified that although members of NAAT had repeatedly appealed to the federal government, they had not yet received payment, while members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities had long since got their four-month salary arrears as instructed by the president.

“It is unfair and an attempt to undervalue NAAT and its members for the Federal government to compensate members of only one union with four months’ worth of salaries that were withheld while excluding members of two other unions and NAAT.” As a result, the union disapproves of this action in its entirety.

“The government’s lack of good faith in redressing this injustice against our union’s members is demonstrated by the heads of all pertinent government departments who have been contacted about this issue, who have neither responded nor acknowledged the union’s correspondences.

“The strike action the union embarked upon for which the salaries of its members were withheld is legitimate as it is because of the failure of the Federal Government to fully implement the FGN/NAAT 2009 Agreement freely signed by both parties”, he added.

The chairman of the NAAT North Central Zonal further urged members of the public, well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organizations, and other interested parties to put pressure on the federal government to reimburse association members for their withheld salaries or face consequences if the government interferes with the institution’s academic operations.

According to our correspondent, the association’s members displayed placards bearing various inscriptions, including “Pay us our withheld salaries now,” “We are not slaves,” “We are not second-class citizens,” “We are suffering,” and more, while also singing solidarity songs during the nonviolent demonstration.