NASU Shelves Strike As WAEC Withdraws Contentious Memo
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Following the withdrawal of a controversial internal circular by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has shelved its planned strike at the examination body’s offices nationwide.
Arising from the Internal Memo on 16th January 2025, by WAEC Management ordering the stoppage of NASU check-off dues, there has been tension between parties.
This is as NASU also accused the management of plans to transfer NASU branch leaders in the Yaba, headquarters of WAEC in Nigeria across the country.
Amid the worrying development, the NASU leadership had planned to commence an indefinite strike from today, Sunday, 23rd March 2025 demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the 14th March 2025 memo by the WAEC management.
The Union also sought full implementation of the 10th March 2025 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), including automatic deduction and remittance of NASU dues; End to all forms of victimization and unlawful transfers of NASU leaders; and that the Examination body must respect labour laws and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that protect trade union rights.
NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, who confirmed the decision to suspend the planned strike, said; “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 stopped the automatic deduction and remittance of check-off dues for the Union.
The Union had described the Memo as a retaliatory measure for previous strikes, while noting that it was a violation of their recent agreement as well as Nigerian labour laws.
This decision followed the signing of an MoU on 10th March 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.
This is also in addition to the dispute arising from the government’s 2023 economic palliative, where WAEC workers only got N25,000 per month for three months, instead of the recommended N30,000.
It was reliably gathered that tensions rose further after the Exam body shunned the conclusions of a salary review committee, offering a smaller salary increment than what had been agreed upon, prompting a four-day strike in December 2024.
Besides these salary-related issues, NASU had also raised concerns about the planned transfer of Union leaders, which they claimed was an act of victimization, even as it accused WAEC’s management of ignoring previous official communications requesting the reversal of the memo.
With the Union’s leadership declaring a trade dispute on 17th February 2025, there were multiple rounds of engagement and correspondences with WAEC and the Ministry of Labour.
In the process, a reconciliation meeting held on March 10, which resulted in the MoU that was supposed to ensure the automatic payment of check-off dues and protect the rights of Union members.
However, the March 14 memo from WAEC, which imposed additional requirements for the deductions, led NASU to threaten further action and consequently gave the Exam body a seven-day ultimatum to reverse the circular or face a nationwide strike by 24th March 2025.
However, with WAEC accepting to withdraw the memo and adhere to the terms of the MoU, the Union decided to suspend the strike with their officials expressing cautious optimism.
According to the officials, though the memo’s withdrawal was a positive step, they would continue to monitor WAEC’s compliance with the full terms of the MoU, even as the leadership emphasized that they would remain vigilant in ensuring workers’ rights are upheld and WAEC respects the terms agreed upon.
On the way forward, NASU’s General Secretary, Prince Adeyemi said; “While we are hopeful that the withdrawal of the circular signifies a step toward industrial harmony, we will not hesitate to take further action if WAEC fails to live up to its obligations”.
