The Non teaching staff of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), on Tuesday, joined the nationwide warning protest declared by their national body.
They unions are; the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists, under the auspices of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of UNN.
The union members numbering over 1,000 in a peaceful protest on Tuesday, in UNN, marched round the Freedom Square of the university.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the staff are rejecting the 80 per cent and 20 per cent sharing formula for academic and non-teaching staff respectively, in recent release of N25b by the federal government, for earned allowances.
The staff bore placards with different inscriptions, such as; “JAC rejects 80 per cent and 20 per cent sharing formula for academic and non-teaching staff respectively.”
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“Federal Government should release N30 billion for payment of arrears of earned allowance to non-teaching staff of Nigeria public universities”.
Briefing newsmen after the protest, Mr Paul Eruah, the Chairman of UNN -JAC, said the protest was in line with the directive of the national executive council of JAC.
“Some of the reasons of this protest is for our remaining N30b arrears of earned allowance to be released without further delay and 2009 agreement of the unions with government to be renegotiated.
“We are also saying no to joining Nigeria University Pension Management Company, until the demands of our union are met,” he said.
Paul however, assured that their protest would be peaceful, adding that the unions had no issues with the school management.
“NASU, SSANU and NAAT have no issues with UNN; this protest is for federal government that is withholding our earned allowance and other demands it agreed and signed, but has failed to fulfill.
“After this warning protest in various public universities, the mother of protests will take place in Abuja on Friday by all non-teaching staff of public universities in the country.
“And if the federal government still fails to meet our demands, we have no option than to embark on nationwide indefinite strike,” he said.
It would be recalled that the National Executive Councils of the three unions, under the aegis of JAC, had on Friday last week, directed its branch members to carry out protest to press home the demand of their earned allowance and other demands from the federal government. (NAN)
