Omoocash:
SSANU plans indefinite strike as FG sacks 2000
workers
 
Fidelis Soriwei and Friday Olokor, Abuja
The Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian Universities has called for
an indefinite strike on December 24, 2015 to protest a recent decision of
the Federal Government to sack 2,000 university workers across the
country by January, 2016.
The National President of SSANU, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, said during a press
briefing in Abuja on Friday that the National Salaries, Income and Wages
Commission, and the National Universities Commission had written letters
of termination to 2,000 members of staff of the universities.
Ugwoke said that the senior staff union of the universities had already
dispatched letters to the Ministry of Education, the NUC and the National
Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to withdraw the letters of
termination issued to varsity workers of the University of Ilorin, Federal
University of Technology, Akure, Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto and
others.
He said that SSANU also urged the Education Ministry and the other
agencies to ensure immediate withdrawal of similar letters to vice
chancellors to terminate the appointment of personnel of university staff
primary schools.
He said the letter dated December 17, 2015 also copied President
Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Senate, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, the Minister of
Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige and others.
Ugwoke added that the 2,000 workers affected in the planned
retrenchment exercise were drawn from 31 universities and were employed
by the councils of the various institutions to make the requisite
contribution to educational development in the institutions and the society
over the years.
The SSANU leader noted that the directive to sack the workers who are
expected to leave service in January 2016 was contained in a circular said
to have been written and signed by a Deputy Director in the Ministry of
Education, Mr. E.O Fayemi, on behalf of the minister.
He stated further that the circular dated April 21, 2015, was attached
with a memorandum and report from the National Salaries, Income and
Wages Commission dated March 2014 and February 2014 respectively.
According to him, the commission responded to the circular by directing
the removal of personnel of staff schools and other institutions affiliated
to the universities from the payroll.
He said, “The implementation of this directive would be a gross violation
and breach of the SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement, which explicitly stated
that the University shall bear full capital and recurrent cost of
University Staff primary schools.
“It is further shocking to note that till date, the Federal Ministry of
Defence still funds the capital and recurrent costs of over 100 Army
Children Schools, Command Children Schools, Navy Primary Schools and Air
Force Schools; while the Ministry of Police Affairs still funds its Police
Children Schools, all from the Federal Treasury.
“We are surprised that an agency of government, the National Salaries,
Incomes and Wages Commission, could continue with this callous, wicked,
insensitive and ill-intentioned agenda, despite our calls, letters, press
releases and publications on the issue.
“With the advent of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari,
we had written series of public and confidential letters on same with no
positive response.”
He said that 90 per cent of the pupils of the university staff schools were
children of the staff of the institutions stressing that the schools were
established alongside other academic components of the universities in
some cases.
The unionist said SSANU had to give the December 24, 2015 deadline to
the Federal Government as part of the efforts to prevent the over 2000
workers of the universities from being sacked.
Several efforts by Saturday PUNCH to get the response of ASUU
National President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, was resisted because he said, “I am
out of the country and you don’t expect me to answer you from abroad.”
Also when contacted, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of
State for Education, Anthony Akuneme, directed our correspondent to the
office of the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu.
But several calls and SMS to the Assistant Director of Press in the
Education Ministry, Abdul Onu, were not replied.

Source : www.punchng.com/buhari-sacks-2000-varsity-workers/

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