SSANU Threatens Strike Over Withheld Salaries and Divide-and-Rule Tactics

The divide-and-rule method allegedly deployed by the Federal Government in the payment of withheld salaries owed to university workers in 2022 may have further polarized the tertiary education system, as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to resume its strike from July 4, 2024.

SSANU leadership expressed frustration that four months of salaries withheld by the government when its members joined the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on strike have yet to be paid.

This issue, along with other challenges plaguing the tertiary education sector, was prominently discussed at the 48th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Benin, Edo State, last weekend.

A fortnight ago, the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay its members the withheld salaries.

Despite this, the government only paid ASUU, neglecting the other three unions.

SSANU is now issuing a fresh strike notice to take effect when the ultimatum expires on Thursday, July 4th.

The communique stated that JAC of SSANU and NASU would meet on the aforementioned date to review the government’s response and decide on withdrawing their services.

In the communique signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU accused the government of insensitivity and deliberate attempts to create chaos in the university system by favoring one union over others.

The communique read, “NEC in session once again expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of Government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide-and-rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.

“Recall SSANU and other unions were compelled by the government to embark on a strike in 2022 over the refusal to honor a Collective Bargaining Agreement willingly signed by all parties.

At the end of the strike, the then (Muhammadu) Buhari government further signed an elaborate agreement among which was the non-victimization clause.

However, the government made a selective payment of the withheld salaries.

“While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected the 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, the 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 months salary arrears.”

Regarding the government’s approved wage award of N35,000 to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, which has been stopped, the association noted that the “gross inability of the wage award to heal the excruciating financial wounds is further compounded by its stoppage in Federal Universities with three months arrears already pending.

Many states are yet to effect payment of the wage award to our members in state universities, thereby increasing their economic woes.”

SSANU also called on the Federal Government to immediately resume the payment of the wage award alongside the accrued three months arrears without further delay and urged state governments yet to commence payment of the wage award to start with the arrears accruing therefrom.