The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has commenced a 7-day warning strike in the country’s Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja on Monday.
The entrance gate leading into the University of Abuja premises was blocked by members of SSANU in compliance with directives. The small banner tied to the locked university gate reads: “Pay us our withheld salaries as approved by Mr. President.”
The commencement of the strike means a total shutdown of all activities in the affected universities.
News Central reported that the Joint Action Committee, (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the SSANU on Friday, March 15, issued a seven-day warning strike notice to its members starting Monday, March 18 over delays in payment of withheld salaries.
The statement, jointly signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU President, read:
“The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU has inundated the Federal Government with the need to pay the withheld 4 months’ salaries of our members in the Federal Universities and Inter-University Centres as done for our Academic counterpart to no avail.”
Background
Recently, President Bola Tinubu approved four months’ payment of university staff salaries that were withheld by the Muhammadu Buhari administration during prolonged strike actions in 2022. This was a consequence of the “No Work, No Pay” policy enforced at the time.
SSANU’s primary contention is that while members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) received four months’ worth of withheld salaries, non-teaching staff, including SSANU, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), have yet to receive theirs.
Despite ultimatums issued to the government by the unions to address their demands, there has been no positive response, leading to the implementation of the warning strike.
SSANU and NASU, through the JAC, had previously issued an ultimatum to the government, which expired without any action being taken.