The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has suspended its planned nationwide strike at a West African Examinations Council, WAEC, offices across the country
following the withdrawal of a controversial internal circular by the the examination body.
Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has suspended its planned nationwide strike at a West African Examinations Council, WAEC, offices across the countryfollowing the withdrawal of a controversial internal circular by the the examination body.There had been tension between parties as a result of the Internal Memo On 16th January, 2025, by WAEC Management ordering the stoppage of NASU check-off dues. NASU also accused the management of plans to transfer NASU branch leaders in the Yaba, headquarters of WAEC in Nigeria across the country.NASU had planned to commence an indefinite strike from today demanding that the management of WAEC Immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the 14thMarch, 2025 memo, full implementation of the 10th March, 2025 MoU, including automatic deduction and remittance of NASU dues, End to all forms of victimization and unlawful transfers of NASU leaders and that WAEC must respect labour laws and ILO conventions that protect trade union rights.
Confirming the suspension of the planned strike, NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, told Vanguard that “Since the management withdrew the controversial circular, we think it makes sense to put the strike on hold waiting for their next step.”NASU had been preparing for industrial action after WAEC’s management issued a memo on March 14, 2025, which blocked the automatic deduction and remittance of check-off dues for the union. The circular, which NASU described as a retaliatory measure for previous strikes, was seen as a violation of both a recent agreement and Nigerian labour laws.This decision followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 10, 2025, brokered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, which mandated WAEC to resume the automatic deduction and remittance of dues without requiring additional consent. However, WAEC’s failure to comply, as outlined in their internal memorandum, triggered a renewed sense of frustration among NASU members.At the heart of the dispute was the government’s 2023 economic palliative, which saw WAEC workers given only N25,000 per month for three months, instead of the recommended N30,000.