It was revealed on Tuesday that the Federal Government is set to begin the disbursement of two months' worth of salaries that were previously withheld for the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
Additionally, the National Association of Academic
Technologists (NAAT) will receive payment for three out of the six months'
worth of salaries that were withheld.
It has come to our attention that the payment memo is
pending approval from President Bola Tinubu.
It is important to remember that the four university-based
unions initiated an extended strike in 2022 due to ongoing disputes with the
federal government.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) remained on
strike for eight months, while the National Association of Academic
Technologists (NAAT) was inactive for approximately five and a half months.
In contrast, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and
Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian
Universities (SSANU) each observed a four-month strike.
The recent developments have prompted the implementation of
the “No work, no pay” policy by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
administration.
President Bola Tinubu has previously stated his commitment
to maintaining stability in the nation's tertiary institutions by implementing
an amnesty measure. This measure involved granting university workers four
months of their unpaid salaries.
The Ministry of Finance and Accountant General Office
followed through with the presidential directive, ensuring that ASUU members
received their overdue salaries in October of the previous year.
However, the three non-teaching staff unions expressed
dissatisfaction with what they perceived as biased payment practices.
They too demanded to be compensated for the four months of
withheld salaries. Following a prolonged period of inaction from the
government, the Joint Action Committee (JAC), which includes SSANU and NASU,
issued a series of ultimatums and organized protest rallies.
NAAT has also sought the government's disbursement of the
five and a half months' salaries that have been withheld, but these efforts
have not yielded any favorable outcomes.
Nevertheless, during a meeting at the presidential villa in
Abuja between organized labor and President Tinubu regarding the minimum wage,
the issue of the unpaid salaries was raised by the labor leaders.
President Tinubu promptly agreed to this request and
instructed the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, and
Education to develop a plan for the payment.
The Ministry of Education has presented its proposals to the
President, suggesting that NAAT, NASU, and SSANU receive payment for half of
the total months owed to them during the duration of the strike, similar to the
arrangement made for ASUU, which was compensated for four out of the eight
months of their strike, according to our reporter.
The Honorable Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman,
informed Vanguard that the Ministry has initiated the necessary actions in
accordance with the Presidential directive and is now awaiting the approval of
Mr. President.
The Honorable Minister shared that the three unions would
receive 50% of their withheld salaries. This means that SSANU and NASU will be
compensated for two out of the four months they were on strike, similar to
ASUU, which received four months out of their eight-month strike period. NAAT,
on the other hand, will be paid for three months out of approximately six
months.
Furthermore, we learnt that a memorandum detailing the
number of months to be paid to the three unions was dispatched from the
esteemed office of the Ministry of Education.