Non-teaching staff of varsities vow strike over minimum wage

From Frank Ikpefan, Abuja

MEMBERS of the non-academic staff of public universities have threatened to go on strike over the non-payment of their arrears arising from the negotiated consequential adjustments as a result of the N30, 000 new minimum wage.

The workers, under the umbrella of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), said they may no longer guarantee industrial harmony in the varsities if the Federal Government continued to delay the payment of the new minimum wage to them.

The position was contained in a statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Salaam Abdussobur, in Abuja yesterday.

President Muhammadu Buhari signed the new wage bill into law in April 2019 and the Federal Government and organised labour agreed on consequential adjustments on October 18, 2019, after a lengthy negotiation.

The workers said they were shocked that after the federal government and organised labour concluded negotiations on the new minimum wage and the consequential adjustment, they were yet to be paid the new wage.

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The union said it was unfortunate that while workers in other sectors had started enjoying the new wage, university workers appeared to have been forgotten.

The statement reads: “The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities expresses its dismay over the delay in the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage for its members and workers in the University system.

“We note that the negotiations over the National Minimum wage was quite protracted and spanning over a period of two years.

With the conclusion of the negotiations, it was assumed that the implementation would be seamless and require no further agitations to ensure it is actualised across all the sectors of employees.

“Unfortunately however, months after the agreements were concluded and dusted, it seems the workers in the University system have been forgotten in the scheme of things.

While workers in other sectors have started enjoying the increment in the salaries, the University system has not.

“Sadly, prices of goods and services immediately shot up as soon as the minimum wage was implemented in those sectors, and with the University sector still operating on the old minimum wage, thereby causing financial hardships and difficulties for our members.”