By Gabriel Agbeja,
Abuja – Prof. Sani Haruna, the Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Technology Infrastructure (NASENI) has urged research unions to call off the strike they started since Nov. 14, 2017.
The striking research unions comprise Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sector Unions (JORAISU) and Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
Haruna made the call on Monday in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He urged the unions to work out ways of dialoguing with government with a view to calling off the strike to enable the important research and development activities resume to move the nation forward.
Haruna said government was determined to end the strike by having several negotiations with the unions.
He said he had also made personal efforts to interact with the national heads of the unions.
“I keep on interacting with national heads of the unions because I am a grand patron of Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions and a distinguished fellow of Non-Academic Staff Unions of Research Institutes.
“The issue started in 2010 with the previous government and the current government inherited it. We have held several meetings with the previous administration regarding the demands of the unions.
“I am giving this background because I have attended several meetings as part of a team from the Ministry of Science and Technology,” Haruna said.
He affirmed that the Minister of labour and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, among other high level government officials were already looking at the demands.
He further appealed to the unions to resume work once one or two of their requests were met for their benefits and the progress of the nation.
“It is not that government is not listening; government is looking at possibilities of meeting their demands. These are lots of issues which cannot be implemented overnight.
“I encourage them to know that life is about give and take. You cannot have it all in your way,” he added.
Haruna said the demands of the unions include increment of salary, retirement age of non-academy to be the same with academy, new condition of service and establishment of National Research Commission.
According to him, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Science and Technology have the largest institutions among eight ministries that have research institutes in the country.
JORAISU is made up of the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Allied Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), Academic Staff Union of Research Institutes (ASURI) and the Non- Academic Staff Union (NASU).