On Thusday, the Federal Government met with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) to avert a potential strike by the unions.
The meeting, which held at the Office of the Minister of Education, comes at the expiration of a two-week ultimatum issued by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU.
The unions had threatened to shut down universities if the Federal Government failed to pay their four-month withheld salaries within the given timeframe.
In 2022, the Federal Government invoked the 'No Work, No Pay' policy when the four university-based unions, including SSANU and NASU, embarked on a prolonged strike.
However, President Bola Tinubu later granted amnesty to the university workers and directed that four months of the withheld salaries be paid.
While the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has received their four-month withheld salaries according to the President's directive, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the other unions are yet to receive their payments. This disparity has created tension and the threat of another strike.
In a bid to prevent the looming strike, the government had scheduled separate meetings with SSANU and NASU at 1 pm and 3 pm respectively on Thursday.
The JAC of SSANU and NASU had planned to meet at 10 am on Thursday to review the government's response to their demands and potentially declare an indefinite strike if their salaries remain unpaid.
