Welfare: SSANU, NAAT, NASU Give DELSU 7-day Ultimatum To Implement Resolutions

By Daniel Dafe

Non-teaching staff unions of the Delta State University, Abraka, have given a 7-day ultimatum to the management to review their response to the state government’s approval and directive on critical welfare issues affecting them and implement these, saying that this, if not done would make them embark on a total industrial action.

This resolution was reached on the 29th of January, 2019, during a Joint Congress Meeting of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

According to them, in a letter dated 26th November, 2017, the non-teaching staff unions gave the management a 21-day ultimatum within which to meet their demands or face a total and indefinite industrial action.

This, they said led the Ministry of Higher Education and the Head of Service to engage the management, union leaders and other stakeholders on the 7th of December, 2017 wherein decisions were reached for the consideration of the state governor.

Continuing, the unions said in a letter from the university management dated March, 2018, the university authority with the backing of the governor promised to pay the outstanding financial implications of the implementation of the 2014 and 2015 staff promotion at a total cost of N188, 805, 120. 24 in six equal installments, approved that the financial implication of staff promotion and incremental steps from October, 2016 till date be borne by the university and approved that the staff of the university secondary school be allowed to retain their status as staff of the university till retirement and the teachers be de-stagnated without financial implication.

In a press statement, the Joint Action Committee of the unions added: “While the state government began the instalmental payment of 2014/2015 staff promotion with effect from the salary of August 2018, the management of the university is yet to indicate any overt plan or willingness to implement the 2016 promotion and effect payment of the October 2016 and 2017 incremental steps despite the governor’s approval.”

The demands of the union to the management include: payment of the short fall of the 2014 and 2015 promotions arrears, implementation of the 2016 staff promotion and the payment of the arrears of the 2016 staff promotion that have accrued from 2016.

Other demands are: payment of the arrears of incremental steps for October, 2016 and 2017 and the unconditional de-stagnation of the secondary school teachers since this does not attract financial benefit.

The said 7-day ultimatum took effect on the 30^th of January, 2019.