The academic unions informed branch chairmen of the extension in a circular on Friday, June 24.
The unions claimed in the circular that the government had not complied with their requests for the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, to test our University Peculiar Personnel and Payroll System (U3PS) software, which was made known to them at the Tripartite Plus meeting on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
It said that three payment solutions—U3PS, UTAS, and IPPIS—were now undergoing daily testing that had already lasted three weeks and was still running strong.
Prince Peters A. Adeyemi and Mohammed N. Ibrahim, both the General Secretary of NASU, jointly signed June 21, 2022, circular.
The circular emphasized that it is advisable to wait until the procedure is complete before ordering the end of the strike because the administration has not yet addressed the urgent problems.
“Consequently, you are hereby informed that the strike has been extended by two months within which we are hoping that all the contentious issues would have been effectively laid to rest.
“The two months extension is with effect from Friday, 24th June 2022,” the circular added.
It mentioned that success had been recorded by the JAC of NASU and SSANU over the payment of the minimum wage consequential adjustment arrears, which all staff in the University system benefitted.
“We have also recorded success in the restoration of Responsibility Allowance to deserving members of NASU and SSANU, ditto, the correction in the payment of Hazard Allowance from N150,000 to N360,000 per annum to deserving members in the SSANU document.
“However, there has been no commitment by the government to pay the arrears of Earned Allowances being owed our members,” the circular disclosed.
The circular thanked members of the unions for sustaining the strike action even in the face of denials of salaries, threats, and harassment, saying it has continued to give the national leadership the needed strength and force to forge ahead on the demands.
It, however, urged union members to keep up the spirit across the branches, saying “as we are slowly inching closer to victory and disregard various rumors and misinformation, especially on social media, but rely on the national leaders for factual and true information on the status of the ongoing struggle.”
