The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has asked the Federal Government to pay the four months withheld salaries of its members.

The union threatened to embark on strike over the non-payment of the withheld salaries.

The union accused the Federal Government of favouring the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by paying four of the eight months owed members of ASUU.

Already, the Joint Action Committee comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and NASU have given the government a seven day ultimatum.

In a letter issued on Friday by the JAC, the unions said they would go on strike if the Federal Government failed to release the withheld salaries after seven days.

The letter was signed by the President of SSANU, Muhammed Ibrahim and General Secretary of NASU Peters Adeyemi.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari withheld the salaries of university staff members who went on strike in 2022.

However, President Bola Tinubu in October 2023, ordered a partial release of four months of the withheld eight-month pay of all lecturers.

In the letter, the unions expressed concern that the government released four months of withheld salaries to members of ASUU without extending the same gesture to non-academic staff.

NASU general secretary, Adeyemi warned of grave consequences, threatening that the union may be compelled to down tools within a week, if the government failed to issue a directive instructing the Accountant – General of the Federation to pay their members the four months salaries as well.

Adeyemi said the strike was forced on NASU, yet it fully complied with official procedures before embarking on the industrial action.

He said: “This meeting was convened to discuss very serious issues affecting us, especially our members in the university and inter University Centres across the length and breadth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“This meeting was convened so that industrial harmony and stability that had been witnessed since the advent of this new government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu can be sustained.

“It’s the same reason why when our union and SSANU was informed about the government decision to go ahead and pay four months withheld salaries of the unions that went on strike, which was confirmed to us even by the Minister of Education during our meeting with him sometime late December.

“But it was shocking that just a few weeks ago, we were informed that the office of the Chief of Staff gave approval to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to go ahead and pay the four months salaries to one of the unions in the universities.

“We asked ourselves was there a contradiction in the pronouncement of government and its functionaries? Is it what is supposed to be, is there an attempt to introduce favouritism and partiality? And we told ourselves that probably it will not be acceptable to us.

“The strike was forced on us, we never went on any strike in this union without following due processes. We filled the form TBH as required for embarking on strike and we also filled the necessary. Forms.”

Adeyemi stated that NASU had four agreements it signed with the Buhari administration under the leadership of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige.

He said unfortunately those agreements were not honoured, adding that: “we were forced by our members who began to lose confidence in us and they began to ask questions because any time with the government they will sign one agreement or the other with us.”

He noted that owing to the prevailing social economic challenges, if there is any union and its members that deserved to be paid first, it should be members of NASU.

He added: “Recall that before we suspended the strike, the then President insisted that the then Minister of Labour and Employment should hands-off from the matter of education.

“The then President directed that the then Minister of Education who is our employer should be the one to handle the issues. We met with Mallam Adamu Adamu and we had an agreement which subsisted till this moment.

“We had an agreement with the government and all of the issues were treated and at the end of that agreement there was a clause of no victimisation. No victimisation means nothing will be denied of our members. The idea of the same government coming to say “No Work No Pay” was injustice at the highest order.”

He said the union appreciated the present government for making the pronouncement that these salaries be paid, but was somehow confused as to why up till this moment NASU members have not been paid their four months withheld salaries.

He stated: “This meeting is to call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to direct without any further delay the payment of our four months withheld outstanding salaries.

“We are not unmindful of the problems that this government is confronted with, but these unpaid salaries are part of the problem, so the President should do well to pay us so that this problem will be out of his way.

“We are not going to continue to put pressure on our members to be reasonable and continue to sustain industrial harmony if this monies are not paid. In the next one or two weeks we are going to shut down the place.” (The Nation)

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