Withheld Salaries: NASU, SSANU issue fresh ultimatum, threaten strike

The industrial harmony currently enjoyed across most Nigerian universities may be truncated soon if the fresh threat of a worker strike is anything to go with.

The leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has threatened that their union members would withdraw their services should the government fail to pay the workers’ withheld salaries.

The fresh threat was contained in a letter addressed to the Minister of Education dated 19 June and referenced: JAC/NS/VOL.III/01.

The letter, written under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU, was signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and the National Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi.

Backstory

The two unions had in March embarked on a one-week warning strike over the four months’ salaries of the members withheld by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 over a prolonged industrial action which lasted between May and August 2022.

But, the new administration of President Bola Tinubu ordered the payment of parts of the salaries.

However, only four of the eight months’ withheld salaries of the academic workers were paid by the government, while members of SSANU and NASU were left out.

JAC said it wrote the education minister, Mr Mamman, and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, but never received a response, prompting it to decide on a one-week warning strike in March.

New threat

According to the unions, despite various letters, engagements and assurances from the government, the withheld salaries remain unpaid, saying the development has led to growing frustration among the workers.

“We view it as an act of insincerity and neglect on the part of Government to the yearnings and aspirations of our members.This also negates the spirit of collective bargaining and builds distrust,” the union states.

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JAC noted that the deafening silence of the government and failure to pay the withheld salaries is “creating a high level of agitations and contentions among our members in the universities and inter-university centres such that we can no longer guarantee industrial peace and harmony on university campuses.”

They also cautioned that failure to comply not later than two weeks from the date of the correspondence will leave them with no option but to “shut down the universities and inter-university centres.”