The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has stated that there has been no official communication from the government regarding its ongoing strike.
On Monday, the JAC of SSANU and NASU commenced an indefinite strike over four months of withheld salaries, effectively halting university activities nationwide.
Speaking in an interview with PUNCH Online on Tuesday night, the National Vice-President of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, said, “There’s no update on the ongoing strike; it continues. Some informal contacts were made between the minister of state for education and our union executives, but there’s been no real progress, just an informal appeal.
“This issue has persisted for a long time, with repeated promises that have not been fulfilled. All our ultimatums have expired, and we still haven’t received any payments.
“The recent invitation was merely an informal call on the phone. We urge the authorities to take decisive action; we have come too far and can no longer accept empty promises. If we don’t receive our payments, we won’t back down.”
A statement made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday and signed by SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, confirmed that the ultimatum given to the Federal Government over the withheld salaries expired at midnight on Sunday.
The unions are demanding, among other things, the payment of the four months’ withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, had invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.
In a circular, the unions gave the Federal Government seven days to address their demands for payment of the outstanding four months’ salaries and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government on 20th August 2022, which expired at midnight on Sunday, 27th October 2024.
It should be recalled that at the last National Peaceful Protest by JAC of NASU and SSANU, held on 18th July 2024 at Unity Fountain, Abuja, a 10-day ultimatum was issued to the government to pay the withheld salaries to avoid a shutdown of activities in universities and inter-university centres, with no action taken in response.
PUNCH
