STRIKE:PAY OUR WITHHELD SALARIES - SSANU, NASU TELL EDUN FINANCE MINISTER

Read Time:2 Minute, 11 Second

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), two striking university unions, have requested that Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, pay their four months’ worth of withheld salaries after President Bola Tinubu approved the payment.

In order to force the finance minister to take the necessary action and electronically distribute the withheld pay to all of their members, the unions declared that they would not bargain or meet with the federal government.

Speaking Tuesday on Channels Television’s The Morning Show, SSANU President Muhammad Ibrahim stated that the President had given his assent and that the Ministry of Education had communicated it, emphasizing that it falls under the purview of the Ministry of Finance to do what is required of it.

“The President has approved; the Ministry of Education has conveyed the approval. It is within the precinct of the Ministry of Finance.

“So, the Minister of Finance should just do the needful. That’s all,” he said.

In order to demand the prompt release of their four months’ worth of withheld salaries, the unions launched an indefinite nationwide strike on public university campuses on Monday.

READ ALSO:

MINISTER SEEKS CYBERCRIME SPECIALISTS TO SHAPE NIGERIA’S POLICING POLICY

The two unions expressed their disgust at the government’s failure to provide any constructive outcome in spite of multiple ultimatums.

The two unions directed their members in all public universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to “hold a joint congress in their respective campuses on Monday, October 28, 2024, and proceed on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike action as no concession should be given in any guise”.

The SSANU President said the government contacted the striking unions on Monday but the meeting was nothing to look forward to because of the failed negotiations.

He said, “Well, in terms of reaching out, yes, informally, we have been reached out to but we are not too excited about it because we have had it several times but we hope that this time it will be different.

“There is a very short and fast way to solve this problem. Every process and procedure has been followed. What is remaining is for the payment to be made.

“The government should just direct that these payments should be released, with the touch of a button, because everything is electronic now.

“Once the payments are made, we will resume back to work. Nobody is happy. Prolonged renegotiation won’t achieve any result. What we want is action.”