JUST-IN: SSANU, NASU Suspend Strike For 60 Days

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU), has announced the suspension of the Unions’ ongoing strike for two months.

The suspension came after the committee met with the Education Minister earlier this week.

The suspension of the strike is expected to take effect from Wednesday, August 24, 2022.

NASU general-secretary, who is also the spokesman of JAC, Peters Adeyemi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

Adeyemi said the two-month window was to allow federal government implement the agreement reached.

According to him, part of the agreement was the decision of the government to set aside the sum of N50billion for the payment of earned academic allowances, cogent decision on the University Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (U3PS), release of the white paper on university visitation panel and funding of the universities.

On the poor funding of federal institutions, Adeyemi noted that the minister had directed the National Universities Commission (NUC) to ensure that all the schools are up-to-date on what they are supposed to do, otherwise sanctions will be visited on any institution that defaults.

He said, “The minister of education also gave an assurance that no member of the unions that participated in the strike will be victimised, the minister said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to devout 15 per cent of the national budget to education.

“On the salary payment system, the Minister said the alternative payment systems provided by ASUU JAC of NASU and SSANU did very well. He added that the Federal Government is awaiting the report of the technical committee it set up before taking action on the matter.”

Adeyemi said after a very prolonged negotiations and dialogue between the two unions and the Federal Government led by the Minister of Education, the two unions decided to suspend the strike for the initial period of two months.

“When we presented the offers that the government made to our members, they think that since the majority of the issues that are in contention have been substantially addressed by the government, the strike is ehreby be suspended effective this Wednesday, 24 August 2022,” he added.

LEADERSHIP reports that the two unions had in March, 2022 embarked on a strike action over issues that border on poor university funding, earned allowances and other welfare matters.