The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) workers in Nigeria have embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike and vowed to continue the action until their demands are met.
The industrial action began on Monday, December 9, across WAEC offices nationwide, with activities grinding to a halt as workers, including drivers, cleaners, utility workers, and office assistants, abandoned their official duties.
The strike is connected to two issues: one is the alleged reluctance of management to increase workers’ salaries by 30 percent, and the other is the refusal to reinstate four junior workers who were allegedly wrongfully dismissed at the Ikeja Zonal Office of the examination body.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune on the matter, the congress chairman of the WAEC branch of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Mr. Kayode Ogunyade, explained that the union had engaged the management of WAEC Nigeria several times in the recent past to highlight the need to improve staff welfare and increase their salaries by 135 percent, as applicable to Nigerian government workers through the recent national minimum wage adjustment.
He pointed out that workers demanded a salary increase of this percentage across all cadres and levels (ECSS 1-17), to enable them to meet their financial obligations to their families, as the country’s economy is increasingly difficult, like for many other Nigerians.
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“The union negotiated this issue with the management for several months, and eventually, we agreed on a 30 percent increase across cadres, on the premise that the organization couldn’t afford more than that.
“That was where we stood when the management unilaterally implemented a 25 percent salary increase in our November pay packet, which was not what we had bargained for.
“To us, this decision by the management is a breach of trust, undermining the spirit of collective bargaining in labor laws and workers’ rights.
“Last week, because of this, we held a virtual town hall meeting with the management and all workers across the country. We insisted that we wouldn’t accept anything less than a 30 percent increase, while the management said the organization could not afford more than 25 percent if it is to remain effective in discharging its statutory roles.
“We also demanded the reinstatement of four junior workers, who were cleaners at the Ikeja Zonal Office and were dismissed after a disciplinary committee, set up to investigate the allegations against them, found them not culpable.
“We believe they were unjustly relieved of their appointments, even though they were contract staff, and they deserved fair treatment.
“Now, the management, especially the Head of the National Office, is threatening to sack as many junior workers as possible who join the strike, forgetting that workers have the right to embark on industrial action when necessary to press home their demands.
“But we won’t be discouraged by such threats, as we have the right to go on strike for a just cause.
“We met yesterday with the management for more than three hours at WAEC headquarters in Lagos, and our meeting ended in a deadlock, as no agreement was reached.”
When asked how the workers know that WAEC could afford more than a 25 percent salary increase, Ogunyade said, “We know the financial status of WAEC because we are in-house, and we believe the organization could even go beyond a 30 percent increase if there is political will, especially from the leadership.
“So, we will continue with our strike by assembling in the morning at the gates of our various offices without working, to let the public know our plight at the hands of WAEC management,” Ogunyade stated.
In response, the Head of the National Office of WAEC Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, acknowledged the meeting with the workers’ union leadership on Monday.
“Our meeting was a fruitful one. We agreed that they should discontinue their strike while management addresses their concerns.
“So, we don’t expect them to continue with the strike, as we have agreed to resolve the outstanding issues amicably,” Dangut told the Nigerian Tribune.
When asked if management had now agreed to settle for a 30 percent salary increase, he emphasized that “the issue is being addressed.”
