As a result of the Federal Government’s renege on the payment of the four-months’ withheld salaries of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the body has resolved to shut down universities today, Thursday, July 4.
This was the resolve after the 48th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Benin City, Edo State, where the association threatened to stop providing services to all Nigerian universities until its demands are granted.
This is contained in a communiqué signed by Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the union’s president and made available to newsmen.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of Labour Unions at the meeting strongly advised the federal government to take the necessary action to prevent systemic disruption, accusing the government of giving one union preferential treatment over another.
Moreover, the Joint Action Committee, (JAC), comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, had issued a two week ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay its, members the four months withheld salaries.
According to the communique, out of the four university unions that embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022, the Federal Government had paid the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), leaving behind the other three unions.
“While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU that legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the Industrial action”.
The communique stated further that “despite all promises and media hype 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.”
It also stated that 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 today, July, 4, if the government fails to attend to its demand.
On the government’s approved wage award of N35,000 which had been stopped, the unions noted the “gross inability of the wage award to heal the excruciating financial wounds which has further compounded the pains of the staff, claiming “many states are yet to effect payment of the wage award to our members in state universities thereby increasing their economic woes.”
The NEC, therefore, called on the Federal Government to immediately resume the payment of the wage award alongside the accrued three months arrears without further delay.
Read Also: Onifiditi gets staff of office
