The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) announced a seven-day warning strike on Monday, citing the Federal Government's non-payment of four months of withheld salaries to their members after the 2022 nationwide strike.
The resolution of the joint action committee of the two unions followed after a meeting held in Ondo State on Thursday and Friday.
After ASUU started a nationwide strike in 2022, both SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions also initiated a nationwide industrial action because of the government's unfulfilled promises to the workers.
SSANU raised concerns about the government's justification for the 'no work, no pay policy,' stating that they followed due process prior to the four-month strike.
Till he departed from office, President Muhammadu Buhari confiscated the workers' salaries. However, in October last year, President Bola Tinubu revealed that his government would compensate ASUU members with four months of withheld salaries, leading to concerns about the fate of members of other unions.
The Nigerian government initiated payments to academics a few weeks ago, neglecting the non-academic staff.
SSANU and NASU sent protest letters to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, on February 13, 2024, expressing their concerns about the exclusion of non-teaching staff from the payment of outstanding four months’ salaries.
If the government fails to release the withheld salaries of members, the unions threatened to disrupt industrial peace in universities on March 1, 2024.
Expressing disapproval, the unions in the communique criticized the government's latest action, which omitted SSANU and other non-teaching university-based unions from receiving payment for the four months of withheld salaries due to the nationwide strike action by all unions in our public Universities.
