Nationwide President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has called upon the Federal Government to release the four months’ worth of withheld salaries owed to the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.
Ajaero’s statement follows the commencement of a seven-day warning strike initiated by SSANU/NASU on Monday, which effectively halted university activities across the country.
For over a month, SSANU and NASU have been pressing the government regarding the exclusion of their members from salary payments, a process that began with the Academic Staff Union of Universities in February. The salaries were withheld as a consequence of the ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ invoked by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari against ASUU and SSANU for engaging in strikes lasting eight months and four months in 2022, respectively.
Ajaero emphasized, “We join our affiliate unions… in demanding the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of their members. There was no credible reason or explanation for withholding these salaries in the first place.”
Meanwhile, SSANU’s National President, Muhammed Ibrahim, reported a 90% success rate for the strike, highlighting the discontent among members. He stressed the importance of fair treatment for all university staff and warned against overlooking the concerns of non-teaching staff, which could lead to further unrest and disruption.
The strike action, observed across various states, paralyzed activities on university campuses, with members of the two unions showing full compliance with the directives from their national bodies.
In Kwara State’s University of Ilorin, for instance, NASU Chairman Mr. Zuberu Ibrahim affirmed complete compliance with the strike directive, indicating that activities would remain halted for the duration of the seven-day strike.
Similar scenes unfolded in universities across the country, including the University of Jos in Plateau State, the Joseph Sawuan Tarka University in Makurdi, the University of Abuja, Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Federal University of Technology in Akure, and Olusegun Agagu University of Technology in Okitipupa, where SSANU and NASU members collectively halted administrative and academic operations.
