Senior Varsity Workers Renew Demand For Withheld Salaries

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has again appealed to the federal government to pay the four months’ salaries of its members that were withheld during the nationwide strike in 2022.

The union also demanded the implementation of the recently announced 25 and 35 percent salary increase and the N100 billion salary review of workers in tertiary institutions as captured in the 2023 budget.

SSANU made these requests at the end of its 45th regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The salaries of SSANU members were withheld by the federal government when the university -based unions embarked on a strike in 2022 that lasted for about eight months on which the government applied a no-work-no pay rule and withheld their salaries for four months.

But SSANU insisted that the strike was legal and followed the due process and that withholding of their salaries was illegal.

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In a communique signed by the national president, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the union also appealed to the government to reconstitute the renegotiation committee of the 2009 FGN/SSANU agreement with broad membership from amongst experienced university administrators with a marching order to complete the assignment within a reasonable time.

The communique reads in parts, “NEC disapproves of this unethical practice which contradicts best global practices. NEC therefore calls on the government to stop this ugly trend and ensure that the University Governing Councils exercise their full autonomy which includes recruitments, promotions and infrastructural development.

“The recent announcement for approval of an increment of 25 percent and 35 percent for tertiary institution workers by the government which was circulated in the social media is not a product of collective bargaining agreement with the University based unions.

“While grudgingly acknowledging this slight increase that is yet to be officially communicated to the union, our universities and inter-university centers, SSANU urges both federal and state governments to immediately implement the increment and pay the arrears without further delay.

“NEC in session sincerely condoles and commiserates with the families and friends of our deputy general-secretary and some members who died recently.”