Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU, have ended their seven-day warning strike.
In a circular to branch chairmen at public universities all over the coutry on Sunday, SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, directed SSANU and NASU members to resume work from Monday, March 25, 2024.
The two unions began a seven-day warning strike on Monday, March 18, 2024 over withheld salaries, with workers in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security, and students’ affairs withdrawing their services.
Recall that Truth Live News had earlier reported that the both unions 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.
SSANU and NASU accused the Federal Government of unfair treatement and discrimination by failing to pay them like their academic counterparts.
The Labour Minister, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, criticized the actions of the Union, describing their actions as a total disregard for the Federal Government’s concerted effort to address their concerns.
However, SSANU and NASU said upon evaluation of the seven-day warning strike, “the tempo of the warning strike has been massive, comprehensive and total in most of our universities and inter-universities centres”.
They saluted the “dedication, resoluteness and loyalty of members to the cause of the union’s struggle for the payment of four months’ withheld salaries”.
“Consequently, you are hereby informed that the seven-day warning strike shall end at midnight of Sunday, 24th March 2024 and normal work will resume on Monday, 25th March 2024,” the circular partly read.
SSANU and NASU assured members that the struggle for the payment of the withheld salaries are ongoing.
The unions promised to continue “meaningful engagement with the relevant Government Agencies in both Executive and Legislative Arms” and notify members of the next line of action(s) to be taken.