The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has announced a nationwide protest over five months of unpaid salaries and no implementation of agreements with the Federal Government.
The union also said it will picket the Ministry of Finance on November 14 for its failure to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive to pay the withheld salaries. The protest will begin at midnight on November 6, 2024, as a directive has been set out to its members across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide for the action, the union added.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, NAAT President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, said the plan for the protest and picking followed a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union. He added that the two-week ultimatum, effective from October 30, 2024, for the government to address their grievances is the final warning.
Nwokoma alsk outlined longstanding demands of NAAT, including the payment of five-and-a-half months of withheld salaries and the enforcement of a 2009 agreement. This agreement addresses allowances for academic technologists, training programme provisions and improving staff-to-student ratios.
Additionally, NAAT called on the government to release funds for laboratory upgrades and address broader issues of funding and the increase in public universities.
Previously, NAAT had given a three-week ultimatum on September 30, 2024, which expired on October 21 without any response from relevant government bodies, including the Ministries of Education and Labour and Employment.
Expressing frustration with what the union calls government “insensitivity,” Nwokoma emphasised that President Tinubu had approved the payment of the withheld salaries, but the Finance Ministry has yet to take action.
According to Nwokoma, NAAT’s branches during the two-week period will hold congresses to conduct a referendum on whether to escalate the protest into a full strike. The union warned that if the government does not act by November 13, 2024, an indefinite strike could follow, potentially disrupting academic schedules and critical research across the tertiary education system.
His statement in part read: “Despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to release the five and a half months of unpaid salaries, the refusal by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to implement this order raises questions about the government’s commitment to resolving these issues.”
He noted that past efforts, including letters, protests, visits, ultimatums, and multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) from 2017 to 2022, have failed to yield results, despite the Ministry of Labour’s attempts to mediate.
“Given the current circumstances, the union has critically reviewed the situation and decided to give the government an additional two weeks, starting October 30, 2024,” Nwokoma stated. “Our NEC has instructed all branches to hold a nationwide protest to push for our demands. During this time, branches will hold congresses and decide whether to proceed with a strike if the government fails to respond by November 13.”
“It is our hope that the government will use this opportunity to resolve the ongoing issues and avoid industrial action,” he added, citing concerns for the tertiary education sector. “We aim to prevent disruptions to the academic calendar, which would affect research, teaching, and critical hands-on learning in labs, workshops, farms, and studios, leading to significant resource losses.”
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