The Federal Ministry of Education has held a crucial meeting with the
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU, to address their grievances and appeal for restraint on their planned strike action.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday by the Director, Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Mrs Folasade Boriowo.
At the meeting, the Minister of Education , Prof. Tahir Mamman acknowledged their concerns, while assuring them that their withheld salaries had been forwarded to the highest level of government for attention.
He appealed for restraint on the planned strike, while also announcing the constitution of an Advisory Committee to address other issues.
However, the union led by the National President of SSANU, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, expressed disappointment over the delay in resolving their issues while also noting that both parties would be committed to continued dialogue to finding solutions to lingering issues.
Recall that the unions had earlier threatened to embark on a nationwide industrial action from
Thursday, July 4 if the four months salaries withheld by government were not paid to members.
Government had ordered the payment of the salaries of the university staff withheld in 2022 following their industrial action to protest government’s inability to honour a collective bargaining agreement willingly signed by all parties.
Ibrahim had expressed utmost dismay at what it described a unprecedented level of government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system.
He had urged the government to avoid adopting the divide and rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.