Monday, March 11, 2024 – The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has announced its plan to commence a seven-day warning strike from March 18.
The impending strike is as a result of the
Federal Government’s failure to pay members their four months withheld
salaries.
President Bola Tinubu had directed that
public university workers who participated in a prolonged strike in 2022 but
were left unpaid by the previous administration of Muhammadu Buhari should
receive compensation for four months.
Payment was made to the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) by the Office of the Accountant General of the
Federation following the president’s instructions. However, the three unions
representing non-teaching staff are yet to receive their payments.
Angered by government’s delay in fulfilling
its obligation to pay its members, SSANU authorized a seven-day strike action
during their 47th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Federal
University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said:
“What played out at today’s meeting clearly is that members have unanimously
resolved they will not accept this injustice meted on us, because there is no
explanation that can scientifically or naturally be given to anyone as to why
one group of our staff is paid and then the other three groups are not.
“Therefore, we have given the next one week
where members will go back to their branches and sensitise our members. This
time around, it is going to be a total strike. For seven days, there will be no
water, no electricity, no medicals, no office work. Everybody will leave his
office work until for seven days.
“However, we are hopeful, we are prayerful
that government listens and then does the needful because we also know we have
a responsibility for the society, for the university and for our students. So,
nobody should blame us if this thing happens, because we have given enough
notices, we have made enough sensitisation and we have contacted enough
stakeholders.
“So it is going to be total, it is going to
be total blackout in our campuses all through Nigeria during the seven days
until when that money is paid.”
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