NASU, SSANU Threaten Strike if Demands are not met
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has announced a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerian government, threatening to embark on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met.
The unions are calling for the immediate payment of withheld salaries, a 25/35 percent salary increment, and a fair distribution of the N50 billion earned allowances, which they claim have been unfairly allocated. The unions assert that members in inter-university centres were completely excluded from the distribution of the funds, and some members were shortchanged.
According to NASU and SSANU, a tripartite committee was formed in July to resolve the matter, but there has been no progress. The unions are now demanding that the federal government settle outstanding salaries, including two months’ worth of withheld wages, and clear the arrears arising from the promised 25/35 percent salary increase.
The unions also expressed frustration over the government’s delay in renegotiating the 2009 agreements with NASU and SSANU. Although a renegotiation committee was set up in October 2024, no meetings have been held with the non-teaching unions since December 2024. In contrast, a similar renegotiation with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has already been concluded.
NASU and SSANU warned that if the government fails to address these concerns by September 15, they will be left with no choice but to initiate a strike.
This development comes at a time when ASUU is also embroiled in a dispute with the federal government over similar unmet demands, further intensifying the ongoing unrest in Nigeria’s university sector.
