Talks Between FG, Striking University Workers End in Deadlock
Negotiations between the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) reached an impasse on Thursday.
The meeting, held at the Federal Ministry of Education and led by former Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, aimed to address key issues related to the unions’ ongoing strike.
Also present at the meeting was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Nasir Gwarzo. The discussions began at 11 am but concluded without a resolution.
The JAC of SSANU and NASU initiated an indefinite strike on Monday, protesting the withholding of four months’ salaries. Since then, academic activities in universities nationwide have come to a halt.
In a media interview on Wednesday, SSANU’s National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, highlighted that top university officials, including vice-chancellors, bursars, and registrars, had not received salaries for four months.
He emphasized that universities would remain closed until the outstanding payments were made, prolonging the disruption in the nation’s higher education system.
A source at the meeting said, “We were simply given assurance that the money will be paid, but this is not the first time that assurance will be given, so we can’t just rely on assurances. Assurances aren’t enough to call off the strike.”
SSANU Vice-President Abdussobur Salaam stated that the Federal Government failed to specify a date for the payment of their withheld salaries.
Salaam emphasised their stance on the ongoing strike, stating, “We informed the Federal Government that if it does not pay us, we will not resume work.
“The government responded by saying that money would be disbursed within the shortest possible time. However, we made it clear that we have received too many assurances in the past. We will not return to work until the government demonstrates genuine commitment by fulfilling its payment obligations.”
Speaking to journalists following a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, appointed by the new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to lead the discussions, confirmed that efforts are actively underway to address the unions’ concerns.
He noted that the government is adopting a comprehensive approach to the matter, with discussions progressing to an advanced stage to meet the unions’ demands.
Sununu assured that the government remains committed to stabilizing the educational system and is focused on finding a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis.
“We reviewed the reasons for the strike and briefed the unions on the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Education to address the issues.
“We assessed our current position and considered other potential issues that may arise, allowing the ministry to take a comprehensive approach.
“At the end of the meeting, we all agreed that we have made significant progress in addressing the situation, and we will continue to collaborate to bring the strike to an end as soon as possible,” he said.
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by SSANU National President Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi, the unions announced that their ultimatum to the Federal Government over withheld salaries expired at midnight on October 27, 2024.
The unions are demanding the payment of four months of withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementation of the 2009 agreements previously made with the government.
The Federal Government had previously implemented a “No Work, No Pay” policy via the Ministry of Labour and Employment when the four university-based unions went on an extended strike in 2022.
According to the statement, the unions issued a seven-day ultimatum for the government to address these demands, including payment of the outstanding salaries and adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding signed on August 20, 2022, set to expire at midnight on October 27, 2024.
