He said the planned industrial action is a flagrant violations of the ILO Statute on Social Dialogue and Principles at work.
Ngige disclosed this while addressing State House journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) as well as the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), had given notice of strike expected to start midnight of February 5.
The unions threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the government failed to address about seven points demand they made.
Ngige asked NASU and SSANU to give the government three months so that it will forward a supplementary budget to the National Assembly to cover arrears of the minimum wage that had not been paid to them
He said that the government had “apprehended” the strike by engaging on social dialogue with the unions.
“I was around to see Mr President on so many urgent labour issues. We will not claim ignorant of the fact that three unions in the University system, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT had given us notice of strike.
“The first two unions SSANU and NASU did that under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee, JAC, and as government, we have moved to apprehend the strike because we just came out from a strike that lasted for nine months that was executed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
“So, in consonance with the labour laws, we have apprehended both strikes. They gave us Trade dispute notice, we scheduled meetings with them after apprehension, we held meeting with NASU and SSANU last week Tuesday and government position was explained to them,” he said.
He said the planned industrial action is a flagrant violations of the ILO Statute on Social Dialogue and Principles at work.
Ngige disclosed this while addressing State House journalists after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) as well as the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), had given notice of strike expected to start midnight of February 5.
The unions threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if the government failed to address about seven points demand they made.
Ngige asked NASU and SSANU to give the government three months so that it will forward a supplementary budget to the National Assembly to cover arrears of the minimum wage that had not been paid to them
He said that the government had “apprehended” the strike by engaging on social dialogue with the unions.
“I was around to see Mr President on so many urgent labour issues. We will not claim ignorant of the fact that three unions in the University system, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT had given us notice of strike.
“The first two unions SSANU and NASU did that under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee, JAC, and as government, we have moved to apprehend the strike because we just came out from a strike that lasted for nine months that was executed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
“So, in consonance with the labour laws, we have apprehended both strikes. They gave us Trade dispute notice, we scheduled meetings with them after apprehension, we held meeting with NASU and SSANU last week Tuesday and government position was explained to them,” he said.
