NASU President to Govt: Meet demands of our members now or risks industrial action.
By Peter Usman
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has once again called on the Federal Government to meet the demands of their members or risk industrial action as soon as schools reopened.
NASU President, Dr. Hassan Makolo, who made this assertion on Friday in an interview with IDEALPOSTS in Abuja, said government had refused to do the needful despite the warning strike embarked upon by the union.
Dr.Makolo stated that NASU had a meeting with the Federal government after the warning strike on issues that warranted the strike action and a Memorandom of Understanding, MoU was signed, saying that since then, nothing has changed.
He said, the Federal Government started implementing the national minimum wage months after it was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the arrears is yet to be paid.
Speaking on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, which has been the major contention between the Federal Government, NASU and other related unions, Dr. Makolo explained that IPPIS did not capture payment of minimum wage arrears and other peculiar allowances which workers were enjoying before enrollment into IPPIS.
“We were with the Ministet of Labour and other government functionaries on 20th October, 2020 on these issues and we came to a compromise on the issues, but to our dismay, the situation still remain the same.
On whether the work environments are conducive in the Universities across the country, NASU President said inadequate infrastructures in the institutions of higher learning has made university environment unfriedly to workers and students.
Dr. Makolo stated that a situation where over 100 students receive lectures in a class room meant for about 60 students does not go well with Covid-19 protocol, stressing that the need to construct more classrooms, hostels and staff quarters cannot be overemphasised.
He said if something was not done urgently to address the situation on ground before students resume, the environment will be crowded as usual and it will not be conducive for both staff and the students.
“We kept complaining, without receiving the needed attention, probably because, children of those that matters are not in these institutions, hence they don’t care about what is actually going on. After the Covid-19 pandemic, we will still come back to the old system, seeing students scrambling to enter the class for their lectures.” We must pay proper attention to our educational institutions for a better tomorrow, NASU President stated.