NIGERIA: JAC-LASU Appeals For Prompt End to Strike

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

Staff unions under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) at Lagos State University (LASU), have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for urgent intervention to prevent the ongoing industrial action.

The call was made by the union’s Chairman, Prof. Ibrahim Bakare, during a press conference on Wednesday, where he urged the governor to accelerate the fulfillment of demands for improved welfare for staff.

The unions, which represent members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU-LASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU-LASU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU-LASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT-LASU), have been on indefinite strike since last week.

Bakare outlined three key demands, which are a 25/35 percent salary increase for LASU staff, in line with the agreement between the Federal Government and the unions; the harmonization of salary disparities between LASU staff and those at other state-owned universities; and the implementation of the National Minimum Wage for staff, as per the 2024 National Minimum Wage Law.

“The demands include the implementation of a new harmonized salary structure for members effective December. Such a salary structure must eliminate all pay disparity between our members and staff of other state-owned tertiary institutions in Lagos State; implementation of a 25/35 percent salary increment for members effective December. The increment must be computed based on a new harmonized structure and not on the current structure. The leadership of JAC must be invited to the negotiation table to deliberate on modalities for the implementation of a new minimum wage based on a mutually agreed template,” he said.

He noted that the JAC leadership has confidence in the governor’s ability to act quickly on the committee’s recommendations regarding their demands.

Also, he reaffirmed the union’s commitment to collective bargaining and consensus-building, aiming to prevent the ongoing dispute from escalating into a full-scale industrial action.

He said, “In the course of agitating for our legitimate demands, the unions, under JAC, have embraced principles of collective bargaining and consensus-building to prevent the industrial conflict from degenerating into a full-blown action that will upset the peace and stability we have enjoyed in our institutions for 10 years now. We have written to the governor, the commissioner for Tertiary Education and Establishment and Training, and other top government functionaries. In response to our letters and meetings with stakeholders, two committees were set up by the government, and as of today, the committees have submitted their reports for approval by the governor.”

He further emphasised that they have consistently pursued peaceful negotiation methods to address their legitimate demands.