Following the emergency meeting of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) held last Thursday in Abuja, a final decision was taken by the union to commence a strike action from today in all tertiary institutions. General Secretary of NASU and a Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Peter Adeyemi, explains the reasons behind the strike and why the union could not wait any longer, despite the fact that a new labour minister has just been appointed. Excerpts:

C omrade, why is this emergency meeting of your union, NASU?
First of all, let me tell you that we have delegates from all our branches. Research institutes are very vital to NASU’s operations.  We have over 120 members from 80 branches of NASU at this meeting. We have met over the non-challant attitude of the Federal Government to funding research institutes in Nigeria.

Hitherto, workers of the research institutes, the NASU members and others, are paid on salary and condition of service similar to what obtains in the universities. In 2001 when we had negotiation with the government and had an agreement, the package was ceded to all members of NASU in the research institutes, which include the salary structure and condition of service and allowances.

When the Federal Government decided during the era of President Olusegun Obasanjo to review the agreement of 2001, we thought that the government was going to constitute a separate negotiating team for the workers in research institutions or if that will not happen, the tradition of when you finished with the university, you then extend the package to research institute workers.

But as early as July 2008, the NASU in the research institutes communicated to the government on the need for government to constitute a separate negotiating team for the workers in the research institutes so that negotiation can go on pari-pasu with the ones that were going on in the universities as at that time. But unfortunately, government refused to yield to our calls. We have written several letters without any response.

Just towards the end of last year, the Federal Government concluded the negotiation with the universities, signed the agreement and as we talk to you now, the agreement is already being implemented. There is new salary structure in the universities. Side by side with that, the Federal Government also conducted negotiation with unions in the health sector.

The negotiation was concluded, the agreement signed, new salary table has been issued and workers in that sector are also on a new salary scheme. Also, polytechnic workers and colleges of education workers will be signing their agreement later today. All the workers in these sectors have signed agreement and are completely on a new salary structure, leaving the workers in the research institutes unattended to.

We have done all the paper works, we have called on government, we have written to government, we have made contact with government on several occasions but government appears not to be willing to negotiate with our members in research institutes

Why have you finally decided that the strike must start now?
Due to the reluctance of government and its non-chalant attitude, this emergency meeting was summoned. Sometimes ago, we wrote government and gave government up till last Monday to respond to our request for a negotiating team to be put in place so that we can negotiate the entire package, funding, new salary and condition of service and other issues that affect our members in research institutes, including the issue of retirement age.

But since government appears not ready, the earlier ultimatum expired last Monday and we decided to give them additional seven days. Now that the government has also failed to respond we have decided to call this emergency meeting and we have resolved at this emergency meeting that by Monday, 15 February, 2010, if government persists, we will have no other option than to embark on a five-day total warning strike that will paralyse all services in the research institutes in Nigeria.

We also need to add that this action will take place with our colleagues in the other unions in the research institutes, that is, the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutes (ASURI), the Academic Staff Union of Colleges of Education and the Colleges of Research Institutes (ASUCE), and the Senior Staff Association of Research Institutes (SSAURAI), with NASU.

The strike will start today for five solid days, and it will be total and our resolve this afternoon is that NASU will participate actively in that strike, no member of NASU will renplight, we do not see how we can continue to allow the situation to continue. Our colleagues with which we earn the same salary and allowances are now earning new salary effective 1st July, 2009. We are still on the same salary.

We go to the same market, the same filling station, passing through the same situation, so we do not see any reason why government will remain silent on our plight.

If after the five-day warning strike the government has not done anything on the issue, what would you do?
We have also decided at the meeting that if at the end of the five-day warning strike, government continues to remain unconcerned, we will then have no other choice than to embark on an indefinite strike action. We are not going to be intimidated by any threat from any management.

We use this opportunity to inform our directors and chief executives of research institutes that this strike is not directed at them and they should cooperate maximally with the unions, because it is when the workforce is properly motivated that we can perform at optimum level for the benefit of the institutes and for the benefit of our great country.