VCs, Registrars, Bursars Not Paid, SSANU Insists On Strike
If the Federal Government does not acquiesce to the demands of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) by Monday, March 18, 2024, the organisation has threatened to close all university dormitories and cut off all university power.
SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim claimed that his members, who include vice chancellors, registrars, and bursars, have not received their 2022 arrears during his appearance as a guest on Channels Television's Politics Today programme on Monday.
Ibrahim remarked, "To your surprise, even vice chancellors are involved in this because bursars, registrars, and VCs have not been paid."
Some universities are presently holding their semesters' association meetings, he said, but "it's quite unfortunate that we have to take this painful decision." When we strike, everything is grounded, even though some of us also have children enrolled in these schools.
According to him, "closing the university will clearly affect everyone—not just the students. Everyone will be affected—as there will be no water, electricity, security, residence halls for students, or administration."
The head of SSANU criticised the Federal Government for failing to compensate the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for salaries that were withheld while ignoring SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).
In order to push for some of their demands, including a better welfare package, the unions had gone on an eight-month strike in 2022. After that, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari implemented a "No Work, No Pay policy" against the unions. However, in October of last year, President Bola Tinubu authorised the release of four of the eight months' worth of salaries that had been withheld from ASUU members.
In order to demand the payment of four months' worth of salaries that their members have withheld, SSANU and NASU earlier on Monday announced a seven-day warning strike that would take effect on March 18, 2024.
Ibrahim claimed that the action was necessary because all available means of communication had failed.
If nothing is done by next Monday, he insisted, SANU will declare an industrial action. He claimed that SSANU and NASU were being treated with contempt by the Office of the Accountant General, via the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) office, even though the President had given waivers allowing all unions that started industrial action in 2022 to be paid.
The university is a chain, and "you don't treat a group different and others indifferently," Ibrahim said, attributing the entire incident to a misalignment of priorities.
