The Federal Government has commenced work on some immediate demands presented by the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) during the ongoing renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement.
The move followed a meeting between the Federal Government’s expanded committee, chaired by Dr. Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, and NAAT representatives on Thursday at the National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof. Julius Okojie Building, Abuja.
A statement signed by NAAT’s General Secretary, Comrade Engr. Abubakar V. Yusuf, said items 9 to 13 on the association’s list of demands were referred for immediate resolution, as the Federal Government was already working on them.
According to him, the demands under immediate consideration include:
1. Payment of three and half months withheld salaries of NAAT members.
2. Payment of arrears of 25 and 35 per cent salary increments.
3. Payment of promotion arrears and third-party deductions.
4. Payment of arrears of seven and eleven months’ occupational hazard and responsibility allowances.
5. Mainstreaming of SWEP, STSR, field trip, and call duty allowances into salaries.
He said the remaining items (1 to 8) were penciled down for renegotiation through the Collective Bargaining process. These include:
1. Recognition of the status of academic technologists.
2. Upward review of salaries and allowances.
3. Adoption of the CONUATS salary structure.
4. Approval of new peculiar allowances.
5. Establishment of the Directorate of Laboratory Services.
6. Retirement of Principal Chief Technologists with full salary.
7. Adequate funding of public universities.
8. Training of academic technologists and membership of university accreditation teams.
Yusuf disclosed that NAAT also made a specific request for percentage increases in salaries and allowances, which the government team is currently considering.
He said another meeting is expected to hold within the coming week, during which the government’s position on the pending issues will be made known.
The NAAT scribe urged members to remain calm and prayerful as the negotiation continues, expressing hope that the process would be successful and beneficial to all academic technologists.
