The Federal Government has urgently convened a meeting on Thursday in response to an imminent indefinite strike threatened by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
According to DAILY POST, the unions are protesting against the non-payment of their four-month salaries.
The unpaid salaries issue arose after SSANU and NASU members participated in a strike initiated by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2022, resulting in the government invoking a 'No Work, No Pay' policy.
Although President Bola Tinubu's administration has since directed the payment of ASUU members, SSANU and NASU members have yet to receive their salaries.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman Tahir, has called for a crucial meeting to resolve the dispute and prevent the strike, which was scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 4.
A memo inviting SSANU and NASU officials to the meeting, set for 1 p.m on Thursday, aims to address the contentious issues and persuade the unions to reconsider their strike plans.
A source familiar with the matter disclosed, "The Minister of Education has called to meet with SSANU and NASU today, maybe to persuade us not to go on strike. We will honor the invitation. We are also going to meet with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment by 3 p.m."
This emergency meeting follows a directive from Prof. Tahir Mamman, who reiterated that all affected unions should benefit from the salary payments.
Despite this directive, SSANU and NASU members have not received their entitlements, prompting the unions to issue a two-week ultimatum, which expired on July 4.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU had planned to review the government's response and potentially declare an indefinite strike if the issues remained unresolved.