NASU WORKERS CONTINUE ITS STRIKE AND DEMAND FOR PAYMENT OF SALARIES.

Monday 21 January,  2017; about Hundred and Fifty Three Non-Academic Staff Union workers (NASU) University of Lagos gathered at exactly 7:00am beside the Senate Building UNILAG to hold a protest meeting where the press: Silverbird Television was invited.

The demands of the workers were that the Unilag management must pay them their unpaid salaries, stop intimidating and bedevilling them, provision of better working condition, respect the democratic rights of them to unionize. NASU insisted that they won't go back to work until the school authority meet their demands.

Since the inception of the 'indefinite strike' that had lasted for more than five  months. The NASU workers have shown  resilience and being resolute not to back to go work. Undermining the intimidating tactics the Vice Chancellor: Professor Ogundipe have been using in wanting to divide the workers. Threatening them with state apparatus and possibly sack if fail to return to work with immediate effect.

At the square where the workers all gathered. The Non Academic Staff Union Chairman: Mr. Ajibade assured it's members not to be intimidated with the victimization approached of the school authority saying 'no work, no pay' for them won't hold the wind or threaten the united voice they all have. That they should continue to mount pressure on the management to meet their demands.

Members of Education Rights Campaign (ERC) who were at the protest meeting ground, solidarize with the workers and in fact, produced a single page leaflet to intervened. Majority of the NASU workers were angered and dissatisfied over the refusal of the school management not paying their truckload of salaries. Some of the workers ERC members discussed with keyed into the idea of socialism and buy the socialist bulletin.

In spite of this, the Education Rights Campaign solidarize with the NASU and therefore, demand alongside with the workers that the Buhari led APC mantra of change government that had failed woefully, must honoured the agreement of paying the workers their owed salaries. Emphatically,  like bow and arrow, ERC states that government must adequately fund public education at least with 26% budgetary allocation.

Being is a University environment, the Education Rights Campaign want to say that the Unilag Vice Chancellor doesn't have the ultimate right to sanction the democratic rights of NASU not to go on strike and demand for their academic welfare. ERC is in support of the workers strike with its demands. However, we in ERC appreciate the protest meeting put up by the union to organize its members for today's press briefing about  the strike.

But in taking the struggle forward undermining whatever circumstances.  The Education Rights Campaign would like to encourage the NASU leadership to organize rallies with banners and placards, picketing, and issue more regular press statements to expose the rottenness of the school authority. And possibly have a joint meeting with other Academic unions in Unilag in order to send a serious warning to Professor Ogundipe.

With this, more pressure will be on the side of the management. While ERC sympathize with the NASU workers on their ongoing strike. ASUU, SSANU should unite with the NASU workers in respective of whatever to break the spine of the school authority in order for Unilag management to pay the unpaid salaries of the workers.

By

Fidel Davy 

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