Strike: Pay withheld salaries, SSANU, NASU tell Wale Edun
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities have urged the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to release their four months’ withheld salaries.
This call follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the payment.
The unions firmly dismissed any prospect of further meetings or negotiations with the Federal Government, emphasizing that the Ministry of Finance should “do the needful” by disbursing the salaries directly to their members.
The SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, made this statement on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Show programme.
Ibrahim said, “The President has given the approval and the Ministry of Education has conveyed the approval. It is within the precinct of the Ministry of Finance. So, the Minister of Finance should just do the needful. That’s all.”
Ibrahim revealed that while the government reached out to the striking unions on Monday, the unions were sceptical about any meaningful outcome due to a history of failed negotiations.
“Well, in terms of reaching out, yes, informally, we have been reached out to but we are not too excited about it because we have had it severally but we hope that this time it will be different.
“There is a very short and fast way to solve this problem. Every process and procedure has been followed. What is remaining is for the payment to be made. The government should just direct that these payments should be released, with the touch of a button, because everything is electronic now.
“Once the payments are made, we will resume back to work. Nobody is happy. Prolonged renegotiation won’t achieve any result. What we want is action,” he said.
On Monday, members of the NASU and SSANU began an indefinite strike across public universities, demanding the immediate payment of their withheld salaries for the past four months.
Despite repeated ultimatums, the unions expressed frustration over the lack of action from the government.
They directed members nationwide to hold joint congresses on campuses on Monday, October 28, 2024, and to begin an indefinite, total strike, rejecting any form of concession.
The unions criticised the government for prioritizing the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by releasing withheld salaries to ASUU members while neglecting non-academic staff.
They recalled that after a collective eight-month strike in 2022 for improved welfare, the Buhari administration imposed a “No Work, No Pay” policy. While President Bola Tinubu approved payment of these withheld salaries to ASUU last October, SSANU and NASU still await the same.
In April, Education Minister Tahir Mamman attributed the delayed payment to SSANU and NASU to a “communication problem” but denied any discrimination.
However, SSANU and NASU maintain that the government’s actions reflect unfair treatment and discrimination, as they continue to demand full payment of the owed salaries.
