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Following the inability of the Federal government to pay up outstanding salaries, the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions have announced plans to commence an indefinite strike.
Such actions by the unions if not nipped in the bud would pose chaos in the education sector as students would be worst hit by the situation.
The unions, therefore, called on the government to act swiftly to avert the strike by paying the four months’ withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and the implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, invoked the “No Work, No Pay” policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.
In a statement jointly signed by the President of SSANU, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, the unions said the Federal Government was given a 10-day grace period, which expired on July 26, 2024, to pay the four months of outstanding salaries to university staff, with the threat of shutting down universities and inter-university centres if the payment was not made.
However, six weeks after the grace period elapsed, the government has still not fulfilled this obligation.
The statement read in part, “It is in respect of the above that we write to inform the government of the decision of the National JAC of NASU and SSANU at the meeting held on 12th September 2024, that the government be given another three weeks’ final ultimatum from Tuesday, 17th September 2024, to pay the four months’ withheld salaries and also implement the agreement reached with it on 20th August 2022, failing which our members may be forced to embark on indefinite strike action at the expiration of the ultimatum.”
The unions also noted that they were aware that President Bola Tinubu had approved the payment of the four months’ withheld salaries, but that this was not being implemented by relevant government officials.
The unions said, “We have it on good authority that Mr. President has given approval for the payment of the four months’ withheld salaries as far back as 18th July 2024 at the national minimum wage meeting with the leadership of NLC and TUC.
“Of recent, we also heard that Mr. President has given approval for the actual release of the payment. Regrettably, nothing has been forthcoming despite all the approvals.”
