By Adedapo Adesanya
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have ended their seven-day warning strike and will resume work from Monday.
This was disclosed in a circular signed by SSANU President, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, to branch chairmen at public universities all over the country on Sunday. He directed SSANU and NASU members to get back to their duty posts from Monday, March 25, 2024.
The unions said upon evaluation of the seven-day warning strike which started on March 18, 2024, “the tempo of the warning strike has been massive, comprehensive and total in most of our universities and inter-universities centres”.
SSANU and NASU 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 is ongoing.
The unions said they would 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.
On Monday, March 18, Mr Ibrahim said, “all our workers in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security, and students’ affairs have withdrawn their services and nothing moves within the administration of any public university in Nigeria and that will be the case for the next seven days until and unless the needful is done,” .
The SSANU president stressed that no government representative has reached out to the non-academic unions, noting that though some have reached out unofficially, their assurances cannot be taken to the bank.
He also questioned why some government officials would not fully comply with President Bola Tinubu’s instruction to pay 2022 arrears.
He added that the Minister of Labour , Mrs Nkiruka Onyejeocha, has not reached out to the aggrieved unions despite issuing a seven-day notice last Monday. This, he said was a departure from the responsiveness of the former Labour Minister under President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Chris Ngige.
