Two striking university unions in Nigeria have asked the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to pay their four months’ withheld salaries, following an approval of the payment by President Bola Tinubu.
The striking unions ruled out the possibility of any meeting or negotiation with the Federal Government, insisting that the Ministry of Finance “do the needful” and remit their withheld salaries electronically to all their members.
“The President has given the approval, the Ministry of Education has conveyed the approval. It is within the precinct of the Ministry of Finance. So, the Minister of Finance should just do the needful. That’s all,” SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Tuesday.
On Monday, members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) commenced an indefinite nationwide strike within campuses of public universities to demand the immediate release of their four months’ withheld salaries.
The two unions said it was appalling that despite several ultimatums issued to the government, no positive result has come from the government.
The two unions directed their members in all public universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to “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”.
Our correspondents observed that public universities across the nation were shut down and nothing moved administratively within public varsities in Nigeria as hostels and varsity gates were locked up and electricity supply was cut off by disgruntled non-academic staff.
The SSANU President said the government reached out to the striking unions on Monday but the meeting was nothing to look forward to based on antecedents of failed negotiations.
He said, “Well, in terms of reaching out, yes, informally, we have been reached out to but we are not too excited about it because we have had it severally but we hope that this time it will be different.
“There is a very short and fast way to solve this problem. Every process and procedure has been followed. What is remaining is for the payment to be made. The government should just direct that these payments should be released, with the touch of a button, because everything is electronic now.
“Once the payments are made, we will resume back to work. Nobody is happy. Prolonged renegotiation won’t achieve any result. What we want is action.”
Before now, the two unions had staged several protests and warning strikes to protest their withheld salaries by the Federal Government.
Virtually all schools were closed across Nigeria between March and July 2020. Most schools only fully reopened in January 2021, with social distancing measures in place.
The two unions berated the Federal Government for paying withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while neglecting the non-academic unions.
All the unions had embarked on an eight-month strike in 2022 to press home some of their demands including a better welfare package. The administration of then President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against the unions but President Bola Tinubu last October approved the release of withheld salaries to ASUU members.
SSANU and NASU accused the Federal Government of unfair treatment and discrimination by failing to pay them the full eight months’ salaries like their academic counterparts.
Then Education Minister Tahir Mamman had in April blamed a “communication problem” for the non-payment of the full amount to SSANU and NASU members, whilst he insisted that they were not discriminated against.
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