NASU, SSANU strike: We 'll continue to engage them - FG

The Federal Government on Wednesday said it will continue to engage the two university based unions, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, over their resolution to commence on a seven day warning strike from Monday March 18, to ensure that they get their legitimate entitlement.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris stated this while fielding questions from pressmen on whether the seven days strike notice by the non teaching staff in the public universities was discussed at the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting.

The Minister, alongside some of his colleagues had briefed journalists on the outcome of the council meeting and nothing was mentioned about the strike expected to commence on Monday, March 18.

When asked if the matter was discussed at the cabinet meeting, the minister said it did not come up but added that government was addressing the issue.

He said, "Government will continue to engage them (SSANU and NASU). All the associations involved in that (planned strike), government will continue to engage them to find lasting solution to the problem." 

Asked why SSANU and NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, were excluded in the directive by President Bola Tinubu that the university workers who embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022 and their salaries withheld by the Mohammed Buhari's government as a result of the invocation of the "No work, no pay," policy, should be paid four months salary, he said, the government would continue to engage with the unions in order to settle the problem.

According to him, "Government will continue to engage them, they are all Nigerians. They are all working within Nigeria. Nigerian government has respect for every worker in Nigeria and we will continue to engage them."

Asked when the unions were excluded when their counterparts in the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, were paid, he simply said, "Government will take every right step it deems necessary to ensure that everybody gets whatever is legitimate to him or her."

It will be recalled that the Joint Action Committee, JAC of SSANU and NASU had in its resolution said it would commence a seven day warning strike on Monday, March 18 and that if after the strike nothing is done, they would embark on indefinite strike that will cripple activities in the public universities.