The Federal Government is preparing to pay two months’ worth of withheld salaries to members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) for the period of their 2022 strike. This payment is part of a resolution to address outstanding issues from the prolonged industrial action.
Sources indicate that the approval for this payment is pending from President Bola Tinubu.
In 2022, SSANU, NASU, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) participated in strikes over unresolved disputes with the Federal Government. While ASUU’s strike lasted eight months and NAAT’s about five and a half months, SSANU and NASU were on strike for four months.
The previous administration enforced a “No work, no pay” policy, resulting in the withholding of salaries. President Tinubu, upon taking office, aimed to prevent future strikes and promised to pay the withheld salaries, initially fulfilling this commitment for ASUU members in October 2023.
Following pressure from SSANU and NASU, including protests and appeals from their Joint Action Committee (JAC), President Tinubu has included the payment of withheld salaries in recent labor discussions. The Ministry of Education has proposed that SSANU and NASU receive two months of withheld salaries, similar to the arrangement made for ASUU. The decision now awaits final approval from the President, as confirmed by Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman.
News Editor