JAC FUTA JOINS NATIONWIDE INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Non-academic staffs of the Federal University of Technology, Akure on Monday joined the nationwide industrial strike action to set more paralysis to the University.

The varsity workers under the Joint Action Congress had been directed to embark on the industrial action, following a meeting by its National leaders in Abuja last week Tuesday, and the referendum from branches subsequently collated.

The FUTA branch which had its congress today to enlighten her members on the bases of the industrial action were overheard to have sued for a comprehensive and total industrial strike action, with some of its members claiming to have vacated work already.

The JAC Chairman was also overheard warning members, including NYSC members to desist from going to office immediately, as a monitoring committee has been sent in place.

Security operatives and members of FUTA staff school were nonetheless exempted from the strike action due to the nature of their work.

Howbeit, porters were sighted at their duty post in two of the University's halls of residence after the strike action was declared by the Congress.

The body comprising the Senior Staff of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-academic Staff Union (NASU) had previously embarked on a 5-day warning strike in January.

Announcing the decision to embark on the strike at the press conference, the union disclosed that various dialogues and consultations were held with the government on the issues at stake but none of which had positive outcomes.

_"For all these malaise and others, we have cried out to no avail. The welfare of our members has been neglected. Allowances which were supposed to be ingrained into our salaries have accrued, accumulating to arrears going into years. Our members are greatly frustrated. This has led to provocation on the developments. Rather than heed to our demands, matters have continued to worsen. Our Universities have continued to deteriorate",_ the union disclosed.

Apart from the 2009 agreement the unions said was reached with government and a Memorandum of Understanding reached this year, the union is also demanding payment of earned allowance to their members, review of governance system in universities, improved funding of universities in line with UNESCO recommendations and provision of infrastructure in the universities.

They are also asking for payment of salary shortfalls being owed, implementation of the National Industrial Court judgement on university staff schools, registration of Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company, NUPEMCO, and implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for technologists.

They also want improvement of teaching and learning facilities in the universities, stemming of the tide of corruption in the university system, showing of commitment in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/University unions Agreements and ensuring the headship of non-teaching units by non-teaching staff employed for the purpose of those units.

Reports reaching us from *Fisheries Press* in the University of Ibadan confirmed that the non-academic staffs in the University of Ibadan have also joined the strike action.

It is to be remembered that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the University had also earlier heeded to the call of an indefinite strike embarked on by its National Union over non-implementation of their demands, including the 2009 agreement signed between the body and the FG.

Reference
Inside FUTA