According to the unions, the government contacted them on Monday, but because of past unsuccessful negotiations, they are not enthusiastic about any meeting.
NASU And SSANU Strike Demand Wale Edun Pay Withheld Salaries
Following President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the payment, two striking university unions in Nigeria have requested that Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, pay their four months’ worth of withheld salaries.The striking unions insisted that the Ministry of Finance “do the needful” and electronically distribute their withheld salaries to all of their members, ruling out any chance of meeting or negotiating with the Federal Government.
“The President has given the approval, the Ministry of Education has conveyed the approval. It is within the precinct of the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, the Finance Minister should simply take the necessary action. That is all,” SSANU President Muhammad Ibrahim stated on Tuesday’s episode of The Morning Brief on Channels Television.
In order to demand the immediate release of their four months’ withheld salaries, members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) began an indefinite nationwide strike on Monday on public university campuses.The two unions expressed their disgust at the government’s failure to produce any positive outcome in spite of multiple ultimatums.
“Hold a joint congress in their respective campuses on Monday, October 28, 2024, and proceed on an indefinite, comprehensive, and total strike action as no concession should be given in any guise,” the two unions instructed their members in all public universities and intercollegiate centres across the nation.
As a result of irate non-academic staff members locking up dorms and varsity gates and cutting off the electricity supply, our correspondents saw that public universities throughout the country were closed and that nothing was done administratively within public universities in Nigeria.
What We Want Action
’According to the president of SSANU, the government contacted the striking unions on Monday, but based on past unsuccessful negotiations, the meeting was unimpressive.In terms of reaching out, he stated, “Yes, we have been contacted informally on a number of occasions, but we are not overly thrilled about it. We are hoping that this time will be different.”
“There is a quick and easy solution to this issue. All procedures and processes have been adhered to. The only thing left to do is make the payment. Since everything is now electronic, the government should simply order that these payments be released at the push of a button.
We will return to work as soon as the payments have been received. Nobody is happy. Long-term renegotiation will not produce any outcomes. Action is what we desire.The two unions had previously protested the Federal Government’s withholding of their salaries through a number of demonstrations and warning strikes.
The two unions criticised the Federal Government for ignoring the non-academic unions while giving the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) withheld salaries.A better welfare package was one of the demands that all of the unions made during their eight-month strike in 2022. Following the implementation of a “No Work, No Pay policy” against the unions by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, President Bola Tinubu last October authorised the distribution of withheld salaries to ASUU members.
By not paying them their full eight-month salaries like their academic counterparts, SSANU and NASU accused the Federal Government of discrimination and unfair treatment.Then, in April, Education Minister Tahir Mamman claimed that SSANU and NASU members were not subjected to discrimination and attributed the failure to pay the full amount to them to a “communication problem.”
