The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities is set to engage with the Federal Government today in a meeting scheduled for 11 am.
The purpose of the discussion is to address the ongoing strike that has disrupted activities across Nigerian universities.
Vice-President of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, confirmed the development, revealing that the unions received a formal invitation from the government late Wednesday night.
“We received a formal invitation last night. The meeting is scheduled for 11 am today. It will be presided over by the Minister of State for Education and will hold in the Minister’s Conference Room,” Salaam explained on Thursday morning.
The indefinite strike commenced on Monday after the unions, NASU and SSANU, highlighted their grievances over four months of withheld salaries.
The impact has been felt nationwide, with university operations effectively grounded.
In an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, SSANU National President, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, stressed that the strike had achieved overwhelming compliance from university staff members across Nigeria, including senior university officials such as Vice-Chancellors, bursars, and registrars, all of whom have been unpaid for the same period.
“It is a long-term battle because this strike also involves Vice-Chancellors, bursars, registrars, and other senior administrators who were not paid,” Ibrahim stated. “The impact is significant, and no one from the government has reached out to us. We have withdrawn our services, and our members are resolute they will not return to work until all salaries are paid.”
He added that compliance levels across the country were high, with “98 percent adherence” to the strike directive.
In a joint statement released by SSANU’s National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU’s General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, on Sunday, the unions declared that their ultimatum to the government for releasing withheld salaries had expired at midnight that day.
They reiterated their demands, which include the immediate payment of four months’ worth of back salaries, improved remuneration packages, earned allowances, and the full implementation of the 2009 agreement with the government.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, however, has previously enforced a “No Work, No Pay” policy against university unions, stemming from a similar strike in 2022 when university-based unions halted work for an extended period.
The unions had hoped for a resolution following a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the government on August 20, 2022, which stipulated payment of outstanding dues but has since expired as of midnight on October 27, 2024.
The unions also pointed to a prior protest held by JAC of NASU and SSANU on July 18, 2024, at Unity Fountain, Abuja, where they issued a 10-day ultimatum to the government, warning that if unpaid salaries were not remitted, they would shut down all activities in universities and Inter-University Centres.
