DELSU: SSANU, NASU Join 7-Day Nationwide Warning Strike

By Daniel Dafe

Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union in Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka, have declared a seven-day warning strike.

The decision to join the nationwide strike was reached during a Congress that held in Site II of the university on Monday.

This, is in accordance with the nationwide strike by the unions that began on Monday over alleged unfair treatment and disparity in the payment of salaries by the Federal Government.

Last Monday, the unions threatened to shut down hostels and power supply in universities across the country if the Federal Government fails to meet its demands before today, March 18, 2024.

The National President of SSANU, Muhammed Ibrahim, said his members, including Vice Chancellors, registrars, and bursars, have not been paid their 2022 arrears.

Ibrahim disclosed on Sunday that the two unions were set for their nationwide strike.

Speaking on the development to Oasis Magazine on Monday, Chairman, SSANU, DELSU Branch who doubles as Chairman, Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU, DELSU Branch, Comrade Monday Izu, said at the Congress, members of the unions were informed of the decision of the national leadership organs of the JAC of SSANU and NASU to the effect that a seven-day warning strike has been declared, saying that.members of the unions in DELSU unanimously decided to join in the strike to carry out the instructions of their national leaders.

Adding: “And so we are embarking on the strike with immediate effect.”

According to him, arising from the strike of 2022, SSANU members in all federal universities were being owed four months salaries and all efforts to get that money paid has not yielded fruit.

He said the government was also owing ASUU and NAAT and recently in flagrant disrespect of the presidential instruction, some organs of the federal government went ahead to pay the salary of ASUU and left the non-reaching staff out of it.

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His words: “Our own is to draw the attention of the federal government and President Tinubu in particular to the fact that his administration has relegated us and discriminating against us and we are drawing attention to remedy the situation.”

Still on why the strike was necessary, he added: “Secondly, we had an agreement with the federal government in 2009 that encompasses our condition of service which is what we have been enjoying. That 2009 agreement contains a clause that after three years that the agreement will be reviewed. It’s many times more than three years and all efforts for a review to come out with a recommendation is not yielding fruit. So, this strike is to encourage the federal government to come to a negotiable table and come up with something acceptable to the members of SSANU and NASU in the federal universities.

He continued: “The issue of salary not paid to our members in federal universities also affects us by virtue of being members of one union. Two, if we don’t join in the fight to stop this ugly trend, tomorrow it will be the turn of states; because the federal government did it and succeeded, the state government will also pick it and start applying it. We had better join them to stop this ugly trend.

“The issue of renegotiation is not a federal issue. It is the same agreement that applies to all universities in Nigeria. It is for all NASU, SSANU even NATT and ASUU issue all over the country except private institutions.”

Asked if he has a message for the state government, he said: “Though the state government has been trying in terms of payment of salaries and earned allowances, the government should standby that whenever a truce is reached with regard to agreements, they should be implemented as quickly as possible.”

On his part, Chairman, NASU, DELSU Branch, Comrade Lucky Orishedere, said SSANU and NASU in the university are one body, saying that they are on the same page with SSANU on the strike.