Nigerian universities’ workers suspend strike for two months

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and other Associated Institutions have suspended the more than five-month-old strike.

Penpushing reports that National Vice President, of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Abdussobur Salaam made this known on Saturday, explaining that the suspension would be for two months to observe the implementation of the contents of the agreements reached with the Nigerian government.

The Vice President emphasized that the unions decided to suspend the strike for two months to give room for the conclusion of negotiations with the government adding that the union has reached certain agreements with the government on some of its demands.

Penpushing further reports that, Salaam said the government has agreed to adhere to the guidelines of collective bargaining throughout the process of negotiation, and also agreed to pay N50 billion earned allowances for members of the unions.

“Some agreements were reached to further facilitate the process of collective bargaining. The spirit of collective bargaining must be respected before, during and after negotiations. And N50 billion for the payment of earned academic allowances”, he stated

Penpushing also reports that, he added that the government has agreed to fast-track the process of deciding on the payment platform developed by the unions- University Peculiar Payroll Payment (U3PS),stressing expectation in next two months is for the authorities to release the result and determine way forward

“What we expect them to do in the next two months is to release the result and determine a way forward for us to be able to rest this issue of the payment platform. The process should be fast-tracked within two months. We are only giving them a two months window. It is not an open ended suspension”, Salaam added

Penpushing report that, it is recalled that Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and other Associated Institutions downed tools in March, a month after Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)

The Vice President  it is recalled said university vice-chancellors have continued to defy a court order declaring that the teachers of universities’ staff schools are integral members of the university community, adding  that the government has only paid less than N8 billion of the N30 billion it agreed to pay.

‘The memorandum of understanding we had was that the renegotiation will be concluded within six weeks. And that was as far back as February 2021. And if you count six weeks from that time we will be talking about sometime in May or maybe April. But here we are, a year later, we have not even been invited for one meeting despite our reminders’, Salaam had said

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