Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), Federal University Lokoja, on Tuesday, staged a peaceful protest to demand for the payment of their withheld four months salaries by the Federal Government.
The protest which was held at the main campus of the university at Felele area of Lokoja witnessed a large turn out of members of the two unions.
The protesting workers marched through the campus with placards with various inscriptions, calling on the Federal Government to release their withheld salaries and implement their other outstanding demands.
Addressing members, Chairman of SSANU , FUL branch, Comrade Adedeji kazeem Suarau called on the federal government to hasten the implementation of their demands to avoid a total breakdown of university education.
He said the withheld salaries was due to the implementation of the no work no pay policy of the government under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Suarau said ” all the University unions went on strike in 2022, and because of that the then president Muhammadu Buhari invoked the “No-work-No-pay” rule.
He said when President Ahmed Tinubu came on board, he pardoned and gave approval that the withheld salaries be paid, but to their dismay, their sister union ASUU members were paid while the other non teaching staff were left out.
He said after enquiries, SSANU and NASU were told that approval was still being expected but up till now the Federal Government refused to pay.
He said the promotion arrears of members of the two unions have also been lingering since 2018, saying some members were paid while many were left out.
“The economy is biting on our members as even the wage awards to cushion the effect of removal of subsidy was not being paid running to four months,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to wake up to its responsibility by paying all their outstanding salary and allowances, including Earn Allowance .
Should federal government refused to acede to their demands, Suarau said members of the two unions will not have any other option than to go on total strike.
Also speaking, the NASU Chairman , FUL branch, Comrade AbdulAzeez Yusuf said, the union had no option than to protest saying they have exhausted all their patience hence the protest.
He advised the government to wake up by doing the needful otherwise they cannot guarantee further industrial harmony on the campus.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
