By Shishang John
March 19, 2024
As the seven-day warning strike by members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) enters its second day on Tuesday, grounding activities at the nation’s public ivory towers, the Federal Government has criticised the action of the non-academic staff, saying that the withdrawal of their services is contrary to the provisions of section 18 of the Trade Dispute Act.
The two unions began a seven-day warning strike on Monday with workers in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security, and students’ affairs withdrawing their services.
Our correspondents who visited public universities across the country observed that nothing moved administratively within any public university in Nigeria as hostels and varsity gates were locked up and electricity supply cut off.
Both SSANU and NASU are protesting withheld salaries by the Federal Government. 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 four of the eight months withheld salaries.
Meanwhile, the umbrella body of unions in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has backed its two affilliates, SSANU and NASU, calling on the Federal Government to do the needful.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said there was no credible reason or explanation for withholding those salaries in the first place.
“Much worse, it defies logic to try to subject members of these unions to discriminatory treatment. By so doing Government is courting avoidable industrial disputes.
“At a time confidence is being restored to the public universities the least Government could do is not engineer another strike.
“The toll on all the parties will be unacceptably high, especially for students and parents who bear the burden of movement on our dangerous roads,” the NLC chief said.
