Members of two university workers’ unions have halted their strike actions, it has been announced.
The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), have suspended their ongoing industrial action for a month.
The JAC of SSANU and NASU began an indefinite strike last Monday over four months of withheld salaries.
Since then, activities have been grounded in universities across the country.
However, after the payment of one month out of the four-month salaries on Friday, the unions in a statement jointly signed by National President, SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and General Secretary, NASU, Peters Adeyemi, on Sunday, urged their members to resume work on Tuesday.
“Arising from the above and in view of the level of commitment exhibited by the new minister and the leadership of the Department of State Services, the leadership of JAC, after several contacts and other patriotic considerations, hereby directs that the ongoing indefinite strike be suspended for one- month effective Tuesday, 5th November 2024,” the statement said.
“Branch leaders of both NASU and SSANU are hereby directed to convene a joint Congress in their respective campuses on Monday, 4th November 2024 and intimate members of these developments and urge them to resume work on Tuesday, 5th November, 2024.
“We have had several extensive and exhaustive deliberations with the officials of 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, Federal Ministry of Education, the Accountant-General of the Federation and the leadership of the Department of State Services.
“The National leadership of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU acknowledges and commends our members in the Universities and Inter-University Centres for their unwavering resolve, unrelenting determination and steadfast support for the ongoing strike action.”
The statement reiterated that discussions on the remaining two months, the N50 billion Earned Allowances, Arrears of 25/35 percent and the Wage Award had been revisited and were undergoing deliberations.
The unions are demanding, among others, the payment of the four-month withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
The Federal Government had through the Ministry of Labour and Employment invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on an extended strike in 2022.
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