THE Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) said it had yet to hear from the Federal Government concerning its ongoing strike.
The national vice president of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, stated in an interview with PUNCH on Tuesday, October 29, that the strike continued with the government’s silence.
“Some informal contacts were made between the minister of state for education and our union executives, but there’s been no real progress so, just an informal appeal.
“This issue has persisted for a long time, with repeated promises that have not been fulfilled. All our ultimatums have expired, and we still haven’t received any payments,” he said.
He added, “We have come too far and can no longer accept empty promises. If we don’t receive our payments, we won’t back down.”
He asked the authorities to act promptly.
The ICIR reported on Monday, October 28, that SSANU and NASU commenced an indefinite strike.
The unions announced this in a statement on Sunday, October 27, jointly signed by the national president of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and general secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi.
They noted that the ultimatum given to the Federal Government over their members’ withheld salaries would expire on Sunday midnight.
The unions are demanding, among others, the payment of the four-month withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
The ICIR reports that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, invoked the ‘no work, no pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.
Recall that during the most recent protest by JAC of NASU and SSANU, which took place on July 18, 2024, at Unity Fountain in Abuja, the government was given ten days to pay the withheld salaries in order to prevent the closure of universities and inter-university centres.
A reporter with the ICIR
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