SSANU and NASU to Commence 7-Day Warning Strike on March 18 Due to 4 Months Unpaid Salaries

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has declared that starting on March 18, it would go on a seven-day warning strike.

The Federal Government’s refusal to reimburse members for their salaries that have been withheld for four months is the cause of the upcoming faceoff.

President Bola Tinubu had ordered that public university employees who took part in a protracted strike in 2022 but were not paid by Muhammadu Buhari’s previous administration be compensated for a period of four months.

As directed by the president, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation paid the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), but the three unions that represent non-teaching employees, have not yet received their money.

During their 47th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, SSANU authorized a seven-day strike action. The organization was enraged by the government’s failure to fulfill its responsibility to pay its members.

SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said: “What played out at today’s meeting clearly is that members have unanimously resolved they will not accept this injustice meted on us, because there is no explanation that can scientifically or naturally be given to anyone as to why one group of our staff is paid and then the other three groups are not.

“Therefore, we have given the next one week where members will go back to their branches and sensitise our members. This time around, it is going to be a total strike. For seven days, there will be no water, no electricity, no medicals, no office work. Everybody will leave his office work until for seven days.

“However, we are hopeful, we are prayerful that government listens and then does the needful because we also know we have a responsibility for the society, for the university and for our students. So, nobody should blame us if this thing happens, because we have given enough notices, we have made enough sensitisation and we have contacted enough stakeholders.

“So it is going to be total, it is going to be total blackout in our campuses all through Nigeria during the seven days until when that money is paid.” [CONTINUE READING HERE]