By JOAN NWAGWU

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate payment of the withheld salaries of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).

Mr Joe Ajaero, NLC President, urged the Federal Government to pay the four months outstanding salaries to avoid drift in the academic sector.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, the NLC President said at a time confidence was being restored to the public universities, the worst thing the government could do is to engineer another strike.

It will be recalled that the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU had issued a circular to its members to proceed on seven-day warning strike from 18th of March over non-payment of the salaries as approved by President Bola Tinubu.

The four months withheld salaries arose from the nationwide strike embarked upon by all unions in the public universities in the country.

While the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was paid the withheld salaries in full, NASU and SSANU were allegedly denied of the full payment.

Ajaero said: “There has been no credible reason or explanation for withholding those salaries in the first place.

“We recall this singular act plunged the members into indescribable hardship.

“Much worse, it defies logic to try to subject members of these unions to discriminatory treatment.

“By so doing government is clearly courting avoidable industrial dispute,” he said.

The NLC President stressed that the effects of the strike on the parties would be unacceptably high, especially for students and parents.

He, therefore, urged the government to expeditiously pay up the outstanding salaries

“We advise government not to take for granted the maturity of these unions,” he said. (NAN)