FG, Striking Varsity Workers’ Talks End In Deadlock

FG meeting the Joint Action Committee of the NASU of Educational and Associated Institutions and the SSANU on Thursday ended in deadlock.

The meeting, which was held at the Federal Ministry of Education, was led by former Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, and aimed at discussing issues around the ongoing strike of the unions.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Nasir Gwarzo, was also in attendance at a meeting held at 11 am.

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On Monday, the JAC of SSANU and NASU embarked on an indefinite strike over its four months of withheld salary.

Since then, activities have been grounded in universities across the country.

In an interview with The Punch on Wednesday, the National President of SSANU, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, stated that university executives, including vice chancellors, bursars, and registrars, did not receive salaries for four months.

He said, as a result, the universities would remain completely shut down until the payments were made.

A source at the meeting said, “We were simply given assurance that the money will be paid, but this is not the first time that assurance will be given, so we can’t just rely on assurances. Assurances aren’t enough to call off the strike.”

Speaking with our correspondent later on Thursday, the Vice President of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, said the Federal Government did not provide a specific date for the payment of their withheld salaries.

Salaam emphasised their stance on the ongoing strike, stating, “We informed the Federal Government that if it does not pay us, we will not resume work.

“The government responded by saying that money would be disbursed within the shortest possible time. However, we made it clear that we have received too many assurances in the past. We will not return to work until the government demonstrates genuine commitment by fulfilling its payment obligations.”

Addressing journalists after a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, Sununu, who was assigned by the new Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to chair the meeting, said efforts were ongoing to resolve the issues raised by the unions.

He stated that the government was taking a holistic approach to the matter, with discussions reaching an advanced stage aimed at meeting the unions’ demands.

Sununu promised that the government was committed to ensuring a stable educational system and finding a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis.

“We reviewed the reasons for the strike and briefed the unions on the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Education to address the issues.

“We assessed our current position and considered other potential issues that may arise, allowing the ministry to take a comprehensive approach.

“At the end of the meeting, we all agreed that we have made significant progress in addressing the situation, and we will continue to collaborate to bring the strike to an end as soon as possible,” he said.

A statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday and signed by the National President of SSANU, Ibrahim and the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, said the ultimatum it gave the Federal Government over its withheld salaries expired at midnight of Sunday, October 27, 2024.

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 a prolonged strike in 2022.

It added that in a circular, the unions gave seven days to the Federal Government to do the needful in respect of their demands for payment of outstanding four months’ salaries and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government on 20th August 2022, which expires midnight of Sunday, 27th October 2024.