BREAKING: Varsity workers begin strike Thursday over unpaid salary arrears

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have threatened to ground activities on campuses nationwide from Thursday except the federal government pays the withheld salary arrears of their members.

SSANU said this in a communique at the end of its 48 regular National Executive Council meeting at the University of Benin and signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, reports The Nation.

On June 20, 2024, the university workers, through a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, gave the government a two-week ultimatum to pay the salary arrears.

In the letter jointly signed by NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi and Ibrahim, the unions accused the government of neglect and insincerity.

SSANU, in its communique on today in Abuja, said despite all promises by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives to pay the arrears, the federal government has continued to “dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one-week warning strike in March this year.”

Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu promised to respond to the report when he was contacted.

“NEC in session once again expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of Government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.

Recall that SSANU and other unions were compelled by the government to embark on strike in 2022 over the government’s refusal to honour a collective Bargaining Agreement willingly signed by all parties. At the end of the strike, the then Buhari Government further signed an elaborate agreement among which was the non victimisation clause.

“However, the government made a selective payment of the withheld salaries. While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected the same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU which legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the Industrial action. Despite all promises and media hypes by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives to pay these arrears, the government has continued to dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one-week warning strike in March this year.

“NEC in session deliberated on the matter and unanimously approved a long-drawn comprehensive industrial action after concurrence with the Joint Action Committee meeting of SSANU and NASU scheduled for Thursday 4th July, 2024, if the government fails to pay the four months’ salary arrears,” SSANU said.

The university workers also urged the federal government to resume the payment of the N35,000 wage award.

The union also urged state governments that are yet to commence payment of the wage award to commence payment with the arrears accruing therefrom.

The communique said: “NEC in session also deliberated on the irregular payment of N35,000 wage award to federal civil servants primarily meant to cushion the agonizing effects of fuel subsidy removal pending the approval and implementation of a new national minimum wage. The gross inability of the wage award to heal the excruciating financial wounds is further compounded by its stoppage in Federal Universities with three months arrears already pending. Many states are yet to effect payment of the wage award to our members in state universities thereby increasing their economic woes.

“NEC therefore calls on the federal government to immediately resume the payment of the Wage Award alongside the accrued three months arrears without further delay. NEC also calls on State Governments that are yet to commence payment of the Award to commence payment with the arrears accruing therefrom.”

Speaking on the ongoing negotiations on a new minimum wage, the university workers asked the federal government to comply with the demands of labour and hasten the process of negotiation, approval and implementation to be domesticated by both states, local governments and the organised private sector.

The union threatened to join forces with other labour unions to shut down the system if negotiation on a new national minimum wage was not concluded.

“NEC is aware that the Southern Governors Forum had a meeting to discuss an acceptable amount to be paid as National Minimum Wage across the Southern states, with a resolution that they should be allowed to discuss with unions on how to pay the NMW based on availability of funds. NEC further noted that the issue of NMW is on the Exclusive Legislative List and not on the Concurrent List, and so the federal government is to decide on an acceptable NMW.

“SSANU, therefore, rejects in strong terms the proposal of the Southern Governors Forum in negotiating the NMW with their respective state labour centres,” the communique stated.

SSANU also urged the government to as a matter of urgency reconstitute a new committee for the renegotiation of the SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement as the issue was long overdue.

“SSANU has earnestly offered itself for the renegotiation process to continue and awaits the invitation of the Federal Government on the issue without further delay,” the university workers said.

The union applauded the effort of the federal government to reconstitute the Governing Councils of federal universities.

SSANU noted that the gesture would facilitate the smooth administration of federal institutions.

“However, NEC frowns at the non-appointment of educationist and experienced technocrats who could have contributed better to the development of our citadels of learning,” the union added.