On Monday, October 28, 2024, the JAC of SSANU and NASU embarked on an indefinite strike over its four months of withheld salary.
Since then, activities have been grounded in universities across the country.
However, after payment of a month out of the four-month salaries on Friday, the unions in a statement jointly signed by National President, SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and General Secretary, NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi on Sunday, urged their members to resume work on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
The statement revealed that a high-level engagement culminated in extracting an irrevocable commitment from the Federal Government that the two months of the four months withheld salaries would be paid in staggered form.
“Arising from the above and in view of the level of commitment exhibited by the new minister and the leadership of the Department of State Services, the leadership of JAC, after several contacts and other patriotic considerations, hereby directs that the ongoing indefinite strike be suspended for one- month effective Tuesday, 5th November 2024.
“Branch leaders of both NASU and SSANU are hereby directed to convene a joint Congress in their respective campuses on Monday, 4th November 2024 and intimate members of these developments and urge them to resume work on Tuesday, 5th November 2024,” it read.
The statement added that during the industrial struggle, “We have had several extensive and exhaustive deliberations with the officials of the Federal Government of Nigeria including the new Minister of Education, the Minister of Finance, the outgoing Minister of State for Education, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the leadership of the Department of State Services.
“The National leadership of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU acknowledges and commends our members in the Universities and Inter-University Centres for their unwavering resolve, unrelenting determination and steadfast support for the ongoing strike action.”
The statement reiterated that discussions on the remaining two months, the N50 billion Earned Allowances, Arrears of 25/35 per cent and the Wage Award had been revisited and were undergoing deliberations.
The unions are demanding, among others, the payment of the four-month withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
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.
Punch Newspaper.