The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have jointly announced a seven-day warning strike to protest the Federal Government’s failure to pay four months of withheld salaries following the 2022 nationwide strike.
The decision was reached after a meeting of the joint action committee of both unions held in Akure, Ondo State’s capital, on Thursday and Friday, according to a communique signed by SSANU National President Mohammed Ibrahim.
In 2022, SSANU and NASU joined in a nationwide strike alongside the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to demand government compliance with promised benefits. Despite adhering to due process, the government invoked a ‘no work, no pay policy’ and withheld salaries, a move criticized by SSANU.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari retained the salaries until his tenure ended. However, President Bola Tinubu’s administration pledged to pay ASUU’s withheld salaries, raising concerns among SSANU and NASU members about their exclusion.
On February 13, 2024, SSANU and NASU wrote protest letters to the Chief of Staff to the President and the Minister of Education over the omission. Despite this, the government began payments to academics but excluded non-academic staff.
In response, the unions issued a March 1 deadline for salary release, threatening university disruptions if ignored. They condemned the exclusion as a breach of post-strike agreements and an invitation to industrial unrest.
The communique emphasized the government’s obligation to pay all university-based unions the four months’ salaries, warning of a one-week warning strike if their demands are unmet.
The strike underscores the ongoing struggle for fair treatment and compensation for university staff in Nigeria’s education sector.
