Nigerian University Staff Unions Halt Strike Temporarily, Urge Government Action On Withheld Salaries

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have announced the suspension of their ongoing nationwide indefinite strike over unpaid salaries for the next one month.

The unions stated that the suspension of the strike, which started on Oct. 28, would take effect on Tuesday.

SSANU and NASU had been fighting for the payment of their four months' salaries, which were withheld since 2022 due to a "No Work, No Pay" policy during an eight-month strike by academic workers.

While the academic staff received four months of their withheld salaries last February, following a directive from President Bola Tinubu, the non-academic staff remained unpaid. Despite their protests, ultimatums and warning strikes, their salaries were still not released, prompting the recent strike last week.

General Secretary of NASU Prince Peters Adeyemi and National President of SSANU Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim in a statement Sunday mentioned that the national leaders of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions praised their members at universities and inter-university centers for their strong support and determination during the strike.

Adeyemi and Ibrahim recalled that the strike was started due to the government's insensitivity to the issues faced by their members, as per Premium Times.

During this industrial struggle, the unions held many detailed discussions with various officials from the Federal Government of Nigeria, including the new Minister of Education, the Minister of Finance, the outgoing Minister of State for Education, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the leadership of the Department of State Services.

JAC's suspension decision comes after observing the strong commitment of the new minister and the leadership of the Department of State Services.

Branch leaders of both the NASU and the SSANU were instructed to hold a joint meeting Monday to inform their members about this decision and encourage them to return to work Tuesday.

The JAC also wanted to emphasize that discussions were ongoing regarding the remaining issues, including the N50 billion in earned allowances, the arrears of 25-35% and the wage award.