Taraba SSANU demands full payment of salary arrears, rejects inadequate payment proposals

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Taraba State University chapter, has firmly rejected the state government’s partial payment proposals, vowing to continue its indefinite strike until all of its demands are fully met.

This stance was revealed by the union’s chairperson, Comrade Bitrus Joseph Ajibauka, in a statement issued on Sunday evening following an emergency congress meeting.

According to Ajibauka, despite the government’s efforts to address some of the union’s grievances, SSANU insists on the full payment of salary arrears before considering any suspension of the strike.

“While we commend the state government for some efforts, we make it clear that the indefinite strike will persist until all our demands are fully implemented,” he stated.

The union’s demands include the payment of outstanding salaries, including the full remuneration for September and October 2022, as well as withheld salary balances from June, November, and December 2022.

SSANU has also demanded the immediate payment of 50% of the Earned Administrative Allowances (EAA), which currently stands at a total of N692.9 million, with the balance to be settled within three months, starting from February 2025.

Also, the union has rejected the state’s retrogressive application of the 2012 Criteria and Guidelines for appointments and promotions, instead calling for the use of the 2020-approved guidelines for the 2023/2024 academic year’s promotions.

Furthermore, SSANU has insisted that the state Ministry of Tertiary Education direct the university management to pay the outstanding promotion arrears from 2016 to 2020.

While the union acknowledged the government’s positive steps in implementing the new national minimum wage and peculiar allowances for university staff, they maintained that the ongoing strike action was unrelated to the peaceful student demonstration that was recently averted.