SSANU may join ASUU in strike – Scribe

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian
Universities (SSANU) says it may commence a nationwide
strike by Monday if its members are not paid their salaries.
Mr Promise Adewusi, the association’s General Secretary,
said this at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the strike was being considered to protest
against the stoppage of the salaries of university workers
without any justifiable explanation.
He said that the strike was sequel to a letter written to the
Vice-Chancellors of the affected federal universities and
Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation (SGF).
Adewusi said that letters were similarly written to the
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, the
Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike and the
Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission
(NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie.
He, however stressed that SSANU members would be
directed to proceed on the strike if the government refused
to pay the salaries.
Adewusi advised the vice-chancellors, the SGF and the
ministers of labour and education to take immediate steps
to remedy the situation.
“Our members in the effected universities have drawn our
attention to the non-payment of their August salaries
without any justifiable explanations, even as the month of
September has almost drawn to an end.
“We, hereby, place on record that our members had long
discharged their obligation as workers for the said month
and they, therefore, deserve their pay.
“The non-payment of our members in the universities, when
some other federal universities have since paid the August
salaries, is viewed by our members as an act of punishment
against them for working and this has made them restive.
“We, therefore, demand that the August salaries of our
members in those universities be paid to them on or before
Friday, Sept. 27, 2013.
“Failure to pay by the stipulated date will be regarded as a
conclusive act of aggression against the economic rights
and interests of our members,’’ he said.
Adewusi said that the union would be at liberty to direct
members to stop work, as they would no longer be in a
position to continue to pay for their transport to work.
Also, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu, the SSANU Chairman in
Federal University of Technology, Minna, called on the
Federal Government to pay the workers so as to promote
industrial harmony.
Aliyu said that it was unfair for the government not to pay
their salaries, considering the fact that SSANU had
employed dialogue rather than embark on a strike like the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU).
He, however, warned the government not to misjudge the
union’s peaceful disposition as a sign of weakness.
“Government should not punish us because of ASUU is on
strike. If that is what they intend to do, it means they are
inviting more trouble in the system.
“We in SSANU believe that through continuous dialogue,
contentious issues can be resolved; but for government to
refuse to pay our members for two months is a call for
confrontation,’’ he said. (NAN)