The Federal Government has decided to pay the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) the four months withheld salaries.
This is in exclusion of other three University based unions and could result in another round of crisis that may disrupt academic activities.
The Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), has already written to the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajiabiamila on the implications of the decision of the government to single out ASUU for the payment in exclusion of the other three unions.
In a leaked memo to the Chief of Staff dated February 13, 2024, SSANU and NASU warned that if the government goes ahead with the exclusion policy, the two unions should not be held liable for any disruption in the academic calendar “for the injustice done to our members by the Government as the peaceful atmosphere in our Universities and Inter-University Centres cannot be guaranteed if the Federal Government fails to do the needful by paying our members their 4 months outstanding salaries like Academic staff in the University Sector.”
The memo titled, “Protest letter over the exclusion of non-teaching staff from the payment of outstanding four months salaries was signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary, NASU and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, President, SSANU.
The protest letter read: “We write to draw the attention of the Chief of Staff to the President to the privileged information at our disposal that directive has been given to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to direct the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) Office to release four (4) months salaries out of the outstanding salaries owed the members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) excluding other staff who belong to other Unions in the Universities and Inter-University Centres.
“These other Unions are: Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
“Your Right Honourable will recall that in year 2022, all the Unions in the Universities and Inter-University Centres embarked on strike action at different time to draw the attention of Government to issues relating to the corporate governance of our Universities and welfare of our members.
“The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU embarked on strike that lasted five (5) months from 27th March to 24th August, 2022 as a result of the lackadaisical and unwilling attitude of the then Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, to implement agreements collectively reached with the Joint Unions of NASU and SSANU.
“It is unfortunate that the then Government decided to bring hardship on our members in the University Sector by implementing ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy for four (4) months of May, June, July and August, 2022.
“The strike was foisted on the two Unions due to different unimplemented memoranda with the Government and it was suspended as a result of another Collective Agreement signed on 20th August, 2022, which has not also seen the light of the day. It also contained “no victimisation clause”.
