The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to resume its strike from July 4th, 2024, accusing the Federal Government of exacerbating divisions within the tertiary education system.

The SSANU expressed frustration over the non-payment of four months’ salaries that were withheld by the government during the strike period of its sister union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

These issues, alongside other challenges facing the tertiary education sector, were central topics at SSANU’s 48th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Benin, Edo State, last weekend.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC), consisting of SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), had previously issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to settle the salary arrears.

SSANU criticized the government for selectively paying ASUU while neglecting the other three university-based unions that participated in the 2022 strike.

With the ultimatum set to expire on July 4th, SSANU has now renewed its strike notice, citing unresolved grievances over salary payments and other outstanding issues.

According to a communique issued, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU is scheduled to convene on the mentioned date to assess the government’s response to their ultimatum and coordinate a unified stance regarding service withdrawal.

SSANU, in the statement signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, accuses the government of displaying insensitivity and intentionally fostering discord within the university system through a divide-and-rule strategy.

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.”

SSANU has also criticized the government’s approved wage award of N35,000 intended to mitigate the impact of the halted fuel subsidy, which has exacerbated financial strains.

They highlighted that the wage award has been discontinued in Federal Universities, leaving three months of arrears unpaid.

The association pointed out that several states have yet to implement the wage award for their members in state universities, aggravating their financial hardships.

SSANU called on the Federal Government to promptly reinstate the wage award payments and settle the outstanding three months arrears without further delay.

Additionally, it also called upon state governments that have not yet initiated payments of the approved wage award to promptly begin disbursing the funds, including any accumulated arrears.