Withheld Salaries: SSANU Considers Shutdown Of Universities July 4

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), on Tuesday, threatened to shut down universities on Thursday, July 4, over the non-payment of the four months withheld salaries by the government.

Naija News recalls that the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), a few days ago issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay its members the four months withheld salaries.

Out of the four university-based unions that embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022, the federal government had paid the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, leaving behind the other three unions.

SSANU, in a communique after its 48th National Executive Council meeting held in the University of Benin, Edo State last weekend, threatened to withdraw its services at the end of the two-week ultimatum if the government fails to pay the four months withheld salaries at the end of the ultimatum on Thursday, July 4.

SSANU, in the communique signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, expressed dismay at what it described as the unprecedented level of government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the University by adopting the divide and rule policy.

According to the communique, “NEC in session once again expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of Government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.

“Recall SSANU and other unions were compelled by the government to embark on strike in 2022 over the refusal to honour a Collective Bargaining Agreement willingly signed by all parties.

“At the end of the strike, the then (Muhammadu) Buhari government further signed an elaborate agreement among which was the non-victimization clause. However, the government made a selective payment of the withheld salaries.

“While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected the same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU that legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the Industrial action.

“Despite all promises and media hypes by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives, to pay these arrears, the Government has continued to dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one-week warning strike in March this year.

“NEC in session deliberated on the matter and unanimously approved a long drawn comprehensive industrial action after concurrence with the Joint Action Committee meeting of SSANU and NASU scheduled for Thursday 4th July 2024, if Government fails to pay the four months salary arrears.”

On the government’s approved wage award of ₦35,000 to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, which has been stopped, the association said that the “gross inability of the wage award to heal the excruciating financial wounds is further compounded by its stoppage in Federal Universities with three months arrears already pending.

“Many states are yet to effect payment of the wage award to our members in state universities thereby increasing their economic woes.”