NAAT suspends strike, rejects ‘No Pay No Work’ Policy

The National Association of Academic Technologists has suspended its nationwide strike for three months.

NAAT announced the ceasefire at the end of its National Executive Council meeting on Thursday.

NAAT President, Ibeji Nwokoma said the Union embarked on the strike on March 21, 2022 to press home its demands which include full implementation of FGN/NAAT 2009 agreement.

Others are release of enabling circular for the implementation of CONTISS 14 and 15 for academic technologists and payment of the arrears of Earned Academic Allowances to its members.

]He said: “Following this understanding with Government, NAAT as a democratic union directed all its branches to conduct a referendum on whether to suspend or continue the strike action. NEC of NAAT met and considered the results from branches hence the decision to suspend the strike effective, Thursday 25th August 2022.

“The result of the referendum from branches showed that 80.56 per cent voted in favour of a suspension of the strike while 19.44 per cent voted for the continuation of the strike action.

“Subsequently, NEC came to the conclusion that the demands of NAAT were substantially being addressed. Consequent to the above result, calls and appeals by well-meaning Nigerians, students, parents and other critical stakeholders, the NEC in session, in the interest of the Nation unanimously resolved to suspend the ongoing strike action for three months to enable the government to address all the issues at stake, effective from midnight of Friday, 26th August 2022.

“By this development, all NAAT members in tertiary institutions are directed to resume work with effect from the date stated above. NAAT, therefore, requested that students especially final year project students/researchers with ongoing research activities and other unfinished practical works to come over and would be attended to.

“NEC also rejected the ‘no work, no pay rule’ of the federal government, as we are not the architect of the prolonged strike action. Therefore, NAAT demands in strong terms the payment of our withheld salaries without delay.”