{"id":23609,"date":"2022-05-09T05:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.withinnigeria.com\/broadnews\/?p=23609"},"modified":"2022-05-09T05:08:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T05:08:40","slug":"research-institutions-workers-says-strike-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.withinnigeria.com\/broadnews\/2022\/05\/09\/research-institutions-workers-says-strike-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Research institutions\u2019 workers says strike continues"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0Workers in the research institutions under the auspices of the Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions (JORAISU) have denied suspending their ongoing 7-month-old strike.<\/span><\/h1>\n

The General Secretaries of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational<\/a> and Associated Institutions (NASU), Peters Adeyemi, and Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), Theophilus Ndubuaku, stated this in a letter to chairmen, secretaries and members of ASURI on Sunday in Abuja.<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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reports have it that the Ministry of Labour and Employment had on May 5, issued a statement that ASURI had, in a letter to the Minister, Sen. Chris Ngige, noted the suspension of their ongoing strike.<\/p>\n

It said that contrary to the statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment<\/a> on May 5, that the strike had been suspended, the strike was still on.<\/p>\n

According to JORAISU, the statement by the ministry was a misconstruction of reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs all our members know, ASURI is a signatory to the JORAISU strike which commenced on Oct. 13, 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat strike has not been called off, and we have no reason to direct our members to desist from participating in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe JORAISU strike is a sectoral struggle, so we cannot pull out of it unilaterally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leadership of JORAISU is one, and there is no division whatsoever.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs stated in our earlier clarification, it is not in our power to unilaterally call off, or suspend the JORAISU strike.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe action which we took in suspending the ASURI strike is purely for strategic reasons,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

It also noted that the General Secretary of NASU, one of the three unions participating in the strike, also disowned the statement issued by the ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know what the statement issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment tried to achieve. We have an ongoing strike declared on the platform of JORAISU.<\/p>\n

\u201dThe strike has not been suspended. The Ministry of Labour and Employment is yet to hold a single meeting with JORAISU on the strike. So, how can anyone talk about suspending the strike?, \u201d it said.<\/p>\n

It said that the government<\/a> had not implemented the pending 12 months\u2019 arrears of the new salary structure approved for the workers in research institutes that warranted the review of their stand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had several Memorandum of Agreements and Memorandum of Understandings saying the money will be paid on a particular date.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been on this matter since President Goodluck Jonathan\u2019s era. When Buhari came on board, we brought it to the attention of the then Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe even had an agreement which was signed by the current Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, Ogbe as well as the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Technology,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

It also noted that other issues in dispute include the 65 years of retirement age, inadequate funding of research institutes, the establishment of the National Agricultural Research Institutes\u2019 Commission, and skipping of CONTISS 10.<\/p>\n

It added that the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes, and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) was the third union that was participating in the strike.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n