More disruptions for universities, as NASU, SSANU begin seven-day warning strike

Nigerian university campuses are on edge today, March 18th, 2024, as two major staff unions, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), begin a seven-day warning strike.

The unions are protesting the government’s withholding of four months’ salary for their members following a nationwide strike in 2022.

According to SSANU and NASU, the government recently released the withheld salaries to members of the academic staff (ASUU), who also participated in the 2022 strike.

However, non-academic staff, who play crucial roles in university administration and support services, were left unpaid. This perceived disparity has triggered outrage among SSANU and NASU members, leading to the strike action.

The strike is expected to disrupt normal university operations, potentially impacting registration processes, administrative services, examinations, and campus maintenance. Students and parents have expressed concern about the potential impact on the academic calendar.

The unions issued a seven-day ultimatum on March 1 at the end of which they stated that a possible strike was looming, saying their February 13 letter to Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff (CoS), and Tahir Mamman, the minister for education, was not attended to.

Last week, SSANU and NASU declared a seven-day warning strike pending a response from the government.

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In a widely circulated memo by the JAC of SSANU and NASU, Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU national president, and Peters Adeyemi, NASU general secretary, on Friday, said the strike is a response to the government’s failure to effectively address their demands.

The memorandum also directs full compliance by the unions’ branch heads across “universities and inter-universities”.

“Please, note that the 7-day warning strike should be comprehensive and total, as no concession should be given in any guise,” the memo reads in part.

“Your strict compliance and adherence to this directive are mandatory for all NASU and SSANU branches in universities and inter-university centres.”

The unions are demanding the immediate release of their withheld salaries and have threatened to extend the strike if their demands are not met.

The Nigerian government has yet to respond publicly to the strike action. The Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) are expected to hold discussions with union representatives to resolve the impasse.

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