University workers set for nationwide strike today

Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of the Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) have been directed to embark on a nationwide strike from Friday

The directive was issued in a statement signed by the leaders of both university staff associations on Thursday.

Representatives of the federal government had on Tuesday met with the unions, but the workers said the outcome was “not satisfactory enough to” assure them that government would meet their demands.

The unions, as gathered are asking, among other demands, for the government to rectify inconsistencies in the payroll of its members and pay minimum wage arrears.

The strike action, if followed through, could cripple most government-run universities.

It will be recalled that the universities were shut for most of 2020 due to a nine-month strike carried by by academic workers and compulsory closures necessitated by COVID-19.

Amid a second wave of the pandemic sweeping through the country, the National Universities Commission in January urged universities to re-open and commence academic activities.

Friday’s strike could hamper the much-awaited restart.