SSANU and NASU suspend strike | Premium Times Nigeria

The notable members of the non-academic staff of Nigerian public universities have announced the suspension of the strike indefinitely from Tuesday, November 5.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) made this known on Sunday in a strike update sent to chapter chairs across the country.

The suspension comes a day after the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) said payments to union members “had begun and many have acknowledged receipt.”

Strike

Both unions had announced an indefinite strike on Sunday, which began on Monday after the government failed to pay the union’s four months’ withheld salaries for 2022.

In a bid to end the strike, outgoing Minister of State for Education Yusuf Sununu and the ministry’s permanent secretary Nasir Gwarzo met with union leadership on Thursday. But the meeting ended in deadlock, according to the unions, as they refused to change grounds. They insisted that the strike would be suspended only after their members received the withheld salaries.

Strike suspended

A Sunday statement jointly signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU Secretary General Peters Adeyemi said the decision to suspend the strike followed commitments made following agreements with the Ministers of Education and Finance.

The unions noted that the government has committed to paying two out of four monthly salaries.

According to the statement, payment for the first month would be made at the end of October, while the second month would be paid at the end of November.

Therefore, the unions have suspended the strike for a month from Tuesday, November 5, the report said.

The statement reads in part: “Considering the level of commitment shown by the new Minister and the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the leadership of JAC, after various contacts and other patriotic considerations, hereby directs that the continued indefinite strike time must continue. suspended for one month with effect from Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

READ ALSO: Withheld salaries: SSANU, NASU strike continues as meeting with government stalls

“We would also like to reiterate that discussions on the remaining two months, N50 billion earned allowances, 25/35 percent arrears and wage allocation have been reviewed and are undergoing deliberations.”

Deducted salaries

SSANU and NASU had been fighting since 2022 to get the four months’ salaries paid. Salaries were withheld after the government introduced a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy during a strike by university workers that lasted eight months in 2022.

However, both unions only struck for four months and as a result had to withhold salaries for those four months. The academic workers, meanwhile, were on strike for eight months before a court order forced them to suspend the strike.

Last year, President Bola Tinubu directed the payment of four out of eight months of withheld salaries for the academic staff. The directive is silent on the fate of non-academic staff.

When academic staff members received the withheld salaries in February, non-academic unions intensified their efforts to get theirs paid as well. However, their efforts did not immediately yield the desired results.

The unions then wrote to the government, issued ultimatums, protested and held warning strikes, but their four-month salaries were still withheld, leading to last week’s strike.