Varsity Unions End Warning Strike

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have ended their seven-day warning strike over the withholding of their four months’ salaries.

In a circular to all the branch chairmen in public universities across the country yesterday, SSANU president, Mohammed Ibrahim, directed the union’s members to resume work immediately.

Last Monday, the unions began a seven-day warning strike over the withheld salaries.

Consequently, workers in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security and students’ affairs withdrew their services.

Both SSANU and NASU berated the federal government for paying withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while neglecting the non-academic unions.

All the unions had embarked on an eight-month strike in 2022 to press home some of their demands, including a better welfare package. The administration of then President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against the unions but President Bola Tinubu last October approved the release of four of the eight months withheld salaries.

SSANU and NASU accused the federal government of unfair treatment and discrimination by failing to pay them like their academic counterparts.

The unions, after an initial notice on March 11, 2024, made do their threat a week later, shutting down hostels, power supply, security and administrative works in universities across the country, a development heavily criticised by the Labour Minister, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, who described the unions’ action as a total disregard for the federal government’s concerted effort to address their concerns.