The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has shut down all activities in universities across the country today as they embark on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries.
In a statement made available to reporters on Sunday and signed by National President, SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, General Secretary, NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, said the ultimatum it gave the Federal Government over its withheld salaries expired Sunday midnight.
The Federal Government had through the Ministry of Labour and Employment invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.
Last October, President Bola Tinubu directed the payment of four of the eight months withheld salaries for the academic staff. It was finally paid in February.
The directive was silent about the non-teaching staff, raising concerns as to their fate. The unions also described the directive as selective and kicked against it.
The unions subsequently wrote to the government, gave ultimatums, protested and held warning strikes, but their four-month salaries are still being withheld.
The statement, called on all the state-owned universities to also incorporate their local demands into the strike action as appropriate.
SSANU members are in charge of major facilities on campuses, which has sparked fears of a standstill of activities if the strike begins today.
“Our members are in charge of water supply, electricity, communication, internet supply, security, finance, if they pay this money tomorrow (today), we will call off the strike,” SSANU boss Ibrahim told reporters.
The strike holds as President Tinubu directed outgoing Minister of Education Prof Mamman Tahir to hand over office to the incoming Dr Tunji Alausa on Wednesday.
Efforts to reach the Federal Ministry of Education for reaction to the industrial action by both unions were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.
