Activities were on Thursday grounded at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) as non-teaching staff of the university embarked on a one day protest.
NATIONAL POST reports that the workers embarked on the action to press home their demands from the Federal Government.
The protest march, led by Comrade Linus Akata, Chairman Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Comrade William Amu, Chairman of Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational Associated Institutions (NASU) went round major roads in the campus.
Some placards carried by SSANU/NASU members during the protest include: "FGN honour the 2009 agreement now", "Enough is enough, pay our withheld salary", "SSANU/NASU united, we demand what is our right".
Others were: "FG enough of your empty promises since 2009, "Justice delayed is justice denied", "We can longer take care of our families because government is owing us", among others.
Briefing newsmen during the protest, Akata and Amu said the one-day protest was in compliance with the directive of SSANU/ NASU national JAC to all non-teaching staff in public universities.
"The national JAC at its meeting held on Monday October 6, directed all branch leadership in universities and inter university centres throughout the country to carry out this one day protest on Thursday as a last warning to the government.
"We thank non-teaching staff in UNN for their active participation in the protest and urge them to wait for further directive for a nationwide strike if the government failed to do the needful,” they said.
The two union leaders said the nationwide indefinite strike would not only paralyse administrative activities but academic activities, as all lecture halls in the university would remain under lock and key.
"Nigerians, especially parents, should prevail on the government to meet demands of SSANU/NASU, because if the nationwide indefinite strike starts, it will be total and comprehensive as SSANU/NASU will shut down public universities in the country,” they warned.
The union leaders listed some of the demands of SSANU/NASU to include: "Federal Government to honour the 2009 agreement; the third-party deductions from the already paid two months of withheld salaries that were yet to be remitted, inability of government to pay earned allowances for members and federal Government continued withholding of salaries of members who participated in the 2022 industrial action.
Others are the inability of the government to release the outstanding two (2) months withheld salaries as a demonstration of good faith and commitment to restoring industrial harmony within the university system, among others.
Our correspondent reports that no fewer than 500 non-teaching UNN staff members participated in the protest.
