The non-teaching staff members of Nigerian public universities under the aegis of the Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) on Monday began a one-week strike.
The industrial action is over alleged unfair treatment and disparity in the payment of their salaries by the Nigerian Government.
SaharaReporters earlier reported how the vice president of the association, Dr Abdussobuur Salaam disclosed that they would soon embark on a warning strike during a telephone conversation with SaharaReporters last Monday.
Salaam revealed that the decision to embark on the strike was taken after a resolution at the union's National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which was held two weeks ago.
He said, “We have declared a seven-day warning strike effective from the 18th of March, which is next Monday pending due process within the rank of the union and also pending discussion with our sister union, NASU.
“But as far as SSANU is concerned, the National Executive Council (NEC) on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday had resolved that as a union, we will be embarking on a week-long warning strike to press home our demands which had been abandoned by the government since 2022.”
While appearing on Channels Television’s Morning Show programme on Monday, Ibrahim declared that the strike had started.
“Definitely, it (the strike) has already started,” Ibrahim said.
“As of today (Monday), all our workers in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security, and students’ affairs have withdrawn their services and nothing moves within the administration of any public university in Nigeria and that will be the case for the next seven days until and unless the needful is done,” he stated.
The SSANU president emphasised that no government representative had contacted the non-academic unions and that while some had done so unofficially, their assurances could not be relied upon.
He questioned why some government officials would not completely comply with President Bola Tinubu's directive to settle 2022 arrears.
He noted that after sending a seven-day warning last Monday, the Minister of Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, had not contacted the disgruntled unions.
This, he claimed, was a shift from the responsiveness of former Labour Minister Chris Ngige.
He emphasised that if the government does not respect the unions' requests following the seven-day warning strike, which began today (Monday), the unions would return to their toolbox and select their next course of action.