Varsity Workers Threaten Action Over Part Payment Of Salaries

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has vowed to revisit the federal government’s partial payment of their withheld salaries.

Among other unresolved grievances, the union has expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to fully honour agreements that have directly affected the welfare of its members.

SSANU’s national president, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, said  the pressing issues the union continues to face, including payment of remaining three months withheld salaries, the N50 billion earned allowances and arrears from the 25/35 per cent wage increment.

Although the federal government has recently made partial payments for one month of the withheld salaries out of four, but SSANU maintained that such actions fell short of fulfilling the full obligations owed to its members.

Speaking to journalists ahead of the union’s  third Quadrennial National Delegates Conference scheduled for next week, Ibrahim stated that  SSANU’s commitment to collective bargaining and industrial peace remains central to its mission.

The union’s upcoming conference, which will also feature an electoral process to elect new leadership, is expected to discuss their ongoing concerns with the theme, “Respecting Collective Bargaining Agreement and Industrial Peace in a Democracy”.

Ibrahim urged members to remain united and resolute, asserting that SSANU’s strength lies in its solidarity.

He said, “At SSANU, we firmly believe that the integrity of  agreements is essential for ensuring the welfare and dignity of our members, and by extension, the sustainability and advancement of our academic institutions.

“The disregard for or non- implementation of these agreements only serves to undermine trust and disrupt the academic environment.

“We also wish to address key ongoing issues that remain in active discussions with the federal government. specifically , we are revisiting the matters of the outstanding 3 months’ withheld salaries, the N50 billion in Earned Allowances, arrears of the 25/35 percent increment, and the Wage Award.

“ We recognize that the government has begun payment of one month from the four months of withheld salaries, and we are hopeful this marks progress toward fulfilling these commitments.”