The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and its sister union, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institution (NASU), plan to hold a nationwide industrial action tomorrow, Thursday, July 4, if the government fails to pay members’ four-month salaries.
In a communique issued at the conclusion of the 48th Regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), held on Thursday, June 27th and Friday, June 28th, 2024 at the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, SSANU stated that the government has failed to keep its promise to pay outstanding salaries.
The government had ordered that the salaries of university workers be withheld in 2022 as a result of their industrial action to protest the government’s refusal to uphold a collective bargaining agreement that all parties willingly signed.
However, in a communique signed by its National President, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, SSANU expressed deep concern about what it described as an unprecedented level of government insensitivity and deliberate intent to cause chaos in the university system by implementing a divide and rule policy that would set unions on a collision course by preferential treatment of one union over others.
The communique read: “While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU that legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the industrial action.
“Despite all promises and media hypes by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives to pay these arrears, government has continued to dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one-week warning strike in March this year.
“NEC in session deliberated on the matter and unanimously approved a long drawn comprehensive industrial action after concurrence with the Joint Action Committee meeting of SSANU and NASU scheduled for Thursday 4th July, 2024, if government fails to pay the four-month salary arrears.”
On the implementation of wage awards to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal, SSANU expressed its disappointment with the federal government’s inability to sustain payment of the N35,000 wage award, noting that, while payment has ceased for three months, most states have yet to pay the wage award to members.
SSANU requested the federal government to commence payment of the wage award and the accrued three-month arrears without further delay.
It also urged state governments that have failed to begin paying the award to do so with the arrears that have accrued.
On the new minimum wage, SSANU pointed out that since the topic of minimum wage is on the Exclusive Legislative List rather than the Concurrent List, the federal government is expected to decide on an acceptable minimum.
“SSANU therefore rejects in strong terms the proposal of the Southern Governors’ Forum in negotiating the new minimum wage with their respective state labour centres,” the union said.
SSANU has stated that if the new minimum wage is not determined soon, it will join forces with other labour unions to shut down the system.
While supporting the creation of Federal University Governing Councils, the union urged the government to reconstitute a new committee to renegotiate the SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement as soon as possible, citing the issue’s long overdue nature.