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FG Invites SSANU, NASU For Talks As Varsities Halt Operations Due To Strike

Published

3 weeks ago

Oct 29, 2024.

Federal universities across Nigeria closed on Monday as members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) began an indefinite strike over withheld salaries.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU announced the strike after an ultimatum to the Federal Government expired, demanding payment of four months’ back salaries. SSANU’s National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU’s General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, signed the strike notice, stating that the unions had exhausted their patience.

Their demands also include improved remuneration, payment of earned allowances, and full implementation of the 2009 agreements with the Federal Government.

Additionally, the unions are challenging the government’s “No Work, No Pay” policy applied during a lengthy 2022 strike.

Last October, President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of withheld salaries for teaching staff, yet non-teaching staff were excluded, which SSANU and NASU criticized as “selective.”

Following the shutdown, the Federal Ministry of Education reached out to union leaders to set up an emergency meeting. However, due to availability issues, the meeting could not take place immediately.

FG Withheld Salaries SSANU NASU

In an interview with PUNCH, Ibrahim noted, “The Minister of State for Education called, stating it was at the instance of the incoming minister, requesting a meeting today in Abuja. However, since I wasn’t available, the meeting was postponed.”

He also observed that the unions’ compliance in shutting down universities likely prompted the government’s request for talks. For now, the unions remain firm, indicating that university operations will remain on hold until their demands are met.