Varsity technologists want FG to implement MoA on minimum wage arrears, others

The National Association of Academic Technologists has asked the Federal Government to honour the Memorandum of Understanding and Memorandum of Action signed last year with the leadership of the union.

The union said it may resume its suspended strike by September, if the Federal Government failed to implement the MoA and MoU.

The President of NAAT, Ibeji Nwokoma, alleged that the Federal Government has abandoned the MoU and MoA it signed with the union last November and February this year on payment of minimum wage arrears and consequential adjustment.

According to him, a final decision on the failure of the government to implement the MoA and MoU will be taken next month during the National Executive Council meeting of the union.

Nwokoma stated this during a chat with journalists after a meeting with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Executive Secretary, Prof Suleiman Bagoro, in Abuja.

The NAAT President accused the government of serially failing to honour agreements, saying this was responsible for the ongoing strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors.

He said: “That’s why they are having issues with the striking doctors. We signed one (agreement) in November and another in February; and till now, the government has abandoned the MoU or MoA.

“The government told us in August last year they were going to pay minimum wage arrears and consequential adjustment; till now nothing has happened. They also told us that our circular for commencement of payment was going to be released; till now they have not done anything about it.

“Our renegotiation should have started by now but government has done nothing about that even after signing the MoU.

“We are having our NEC meeting in September and if between now and that period, especially now that they have released the supplementary budget, the government refuse to do something about our minimum wage arrears and the renegotiation does not start, our NEC will come up with a position paper on the next line of action.

“However, the only language the government understand is strike; I hope it doesn’t get to that,” Nwokoma stated.

On the meeting with the TETfund boss, the NAAT leader revealed that the agency would soon sponsor 30 university technologists for training in France as part of plans to strengthen the health sector against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that TETFund agreed to include university technologists in its 162-member Research, Innovation and Development Committee set up last year.