Withheld Salaries: SSANU, NASU Issue Fresh Strike Warning To FG

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) Joint Action Committee yesterday issued a three-week strike notice to the Federal Government over their outstanding salaries.

The unions filed their strike notice against the government on July 26, after the 10-day grace period they had issued to settle the four-month salaries of university workers expired. SSANU and NASU are demanding, among other things, the payment of four months’ withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementing the 2009 agreements with the government.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment had invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022. In a statement by SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, the unions said they gave the government a 10-day grace period to pay the workers, threatening to shut down public universities and inter-university centres if they were not paid.

However, six weeks after the grace period elapsed, the government has yet to fulfil this obligation. The unions said: “It is in light of the above that we inform the government of the decision of the National JAC of NASU and SSANU at the meeting on September 12 that the government is given a final three-week ultimatum from September 17 to pay the four months’ withheld salaries and implement the agreement reached on 20th August 2022.

“Failing this, our members may be forced to embark on indefinite strike action at the expiration of the ultimatum.” The statement added that during the national minimum wage meeting, President Bola Tinubu approved the payment of the four months’ withheld salaries on July 18, following discussions with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

They said: “We have it on good authority that Mr President approved the payment of the four months’ withheld salaries as far back as July 18 at the national minimum wage meeting with the NLC and TUC leadership.

“Recently, we also heard that Mr President approved the actual release of the payment. “Regrettably, despite these approvals, nothing has been forthcoming.