In protest of their four months’ salary being withheld, the Non-Academic Staff Union NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities SSANU, announced a seven-day warning strike on Monday.
After their joint action committee met last Thursday and Friday in Akure, Ondo State, the unions announced a warning strike on Monday in Abuja.
Speaking to press after the meeting, SSANU National President Mohammed Ibrahim explained that the action was required because the Federal Government had failed to provide them the four months’ wage that had been withheld due to their statewide strike in 2022.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, which was also on strike in 2022, received its withheld four months’ wage from the Federal Government lately; however, SSANU and NASU were disregarded.
Unions representing SSANU and NASU members protested in writing to Minister of Education Tahir Mamman and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila on February 13, 2024, regarding the non-teaching staff’s not receiving payment for arrears of four months’ salary.
The unions, in their communique, said, “While SSANU is not averse to the payment of the withheld salary to our sister union, ASUU, it however, views this action as a clear violation and breach of the post-strike agreement with the government on non-victimisation of our members who participated in the strike.
“We strongly oppose this discriminatory practice which we view as the government’s open invitation to an industrial crisis. Credible information available to us has it that the directive of Mr President is for all university-based unions to be paid four months’ salary.
“The NEC therefore suspects saboteurs in this government bent on destabilising and destroying the good intent of Mr. President towards sustaining industrial peace in the university system.
“NEC in session, therefore, calls on the relevant authorities of government to immediately implement the directive of Mr. President by paying our members the four months withheld salaries, failing which NEC has approved a one-week warning strike in conjunction with our sister union in JAC, NASU.”
The unions further asked that the government move quickly to renegotiate the new national minimum wage, arguing that the country’s current hyperinflation had rendered the previous one entirely meaningless.
