By Asmau Ahmad
The Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN), says it will go on a solidarity strike in support of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other unions.
MHWUN National President, Mr Biobelemoye Josiah, issued the threat in a statement he jointly signed with Mr Auwalu Kiyawa, Acting Secretary General of the union, on Sunday in Abuja.
The statement is entitled; “MHWUN stands in solidarity with the university-based unions in the ongoing struggle to emancipate and reposition the public tertiary Institutions in Nigeria for progressive development.”
It would be recall that ASUU, and other unions in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, have been on industrial action for more than six months over alleged failure of the Federal Government to meet their demands.
The unions are demanding funding of the revitalisation fund, earned allowances, implementation of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) scheme, as well as promotion arrears.
Other demands are; the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement, and the resolution of inconsistency in the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), among others.
Mr Josiah said the leadership of the union condemned in strong terms the lethargic attitude of government in resolving the issues in contention
He said: “In order to protect the future of our youths whose academic life is being disrupted, we call on the government to implement without further delay all the agreements it had entered with the unions.
“We urge the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier directive to resolve all outstanding issues with the unions is backed by immediate acceptable action that would end the stalemate.
“MHWUN wishes to use this medium to unequivocally state that we firmly stand behind the university-based unions and the clear position of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), leadership in this historic struggle.
“Our state councils have been put on red alert, and we will not hesitate to declare a solidarity strike in support of the unions if government fails to resolve the issues within a reasonable time,” he said.
According to MHWUN, no responsible government will close down its public tertiary institutions over patriotic demands for a better funding of its universities and good welfare for its teaching and non-teaching staff.
He described it as shameful, saying that the union was particularly irked that the Federal Government and the political actors had abandoned the children of the masses at home to waste away.
