Date: 2018-03-11

*FG to pay striking workers N8bn

The Federal Govern-ment has agreed to source for about N8 billion to settle the earned allowance of striking non-teaching staff of universities within the next five weeks.

Based on this commitment, it was gathered the workers may call off the industrial action on Wednesday.

Our correspondent learnt this formed part of the agreement reached between the striking workers under the Joint Action Committee and federal government after two days of conciliatory meeting.

It was further gathered the government agreed no worker will be victimized on account of taking part in the strike action.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah; President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Samson Ugokwe; President of the National Association Academic Technologists (NAAT), Sani Suleiman and General Secretary of Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), Peters Adeyemi.

The workers embarked on indefinite strike on December 4, 2017 as a result of failure of government to implement some of the contents of the agreement of 20th September, 2017 with JAC.

A copy of the agreement sighted by our correspondent stated: “Government is to source for N8billion within five (5) weeks to pay JAC of SSANU, NAAT and NASU members and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), who did not get paid in the last disbursement exercise.

"The Federal Ministry of Education reported that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has started payment of Salary Short falls and the process is still ongoing.

"The FME is to synergize with the concerned institutions to ensure compliance with Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) requirements to facilitate payments of JAC members in the Universities that are yet to comply.

"The National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) is to rework the 15th December 2017 call Circular taking into consideration the observations of JAC of NAAT, NASU and SSANU with a view to ensuring that it complies with the National Industrial Court (NIC) judgment."

Other provisions were: "It was also agreed that the Federal Ministry of Education would set in motion appropriate machinery for the release of White Paper in respect of previous visitation panel reports already with government.

"The Minister of Labour and JAC leadership agreed that the ongoing strike would be suspended by Wednesday 14th March 2018, after due consultation with their National Executive Councils (NECs).

"No Worker would be victimised on account of this industrial action."