The divide and rule method allegedly deployed by the Federal Government in the payment of withheld salaries owed university workers in 2022 may have further polarised the tertiary system, as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has threatened to resume its strike from July 4th, 2024.
The leadership of SSANU is particularly angry that four months salaries which were withheld by the government when its members joined the sister union, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on strike, was yet to be paid.
The non-payment of the salaries and other contemporary challenges plaguing the tertiary education sector featured prominently at the 48th National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held in University of Benin, Edo State last weekend.
Recall that a fortnight ago, the Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, had issued a two week ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay its members the four months withheld salaries.
Out of the four university based unions that embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022, the Federal Government paid ASUU, neglecting the other three unions.
The development is leading SSANU to issue fresh notice of strike when the ultimatum elapses on Thursday, July 4th.
The communique stated that JAC of SSANU and NASU is expected to meet on the aforementioned date to review the government’s response to the ultimatum and take a common position on withdrawing their services.
SSANU in the communique signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, accuses the government of exhibiting insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy.
The communique read, “NEC in session once again expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of Government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.
“Recall SSANU and other unions were compelled by government to embark on strike in 2022 over the refusal to honour a Collective Bargaining Agreement willingly signed by all parties.
“At the end of the strike, the then (Muhammadu) Buhari government further signed an elaborate agreement among which was the non victimization clause. However, government made a selective payment of the withheld salaries.
“While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU that legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the Industrial action.
“Despite all promises and media hypes by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives to pay these arrears, Government has continued to dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one week warning strike in March this year.
“NEC in session deliberated on the matter and unanimously approved a long drawn comprehensive industrial action after concurrence with the Joint Action Committee meeting of SSANU and NASU scheduled for Thursday 4th July, 2024, if Government fails to pay the four months salary arrears.”
On the government’s approved wage award of N35,000 to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal which has been stopped, the association said that the “gross inability of the wage award to heal the excruciating financial wounds is further compounded by its stoppage in Federal Universities with three months arrears already pending.
“Many states are yet to effect payment of the wage award to our members in state universities thereby increasing their economic woes.”
SSANU equally called on the Federal Government to immediately resume the payment of the wage award alongside the accrued three months arrears without further delay.
It also urged state governments that are yet to commence payment of the wage award to commence payment with the arrears accruing therefrom.