University staff declare indefinite strike over nine-month arrears

Academic and non-academic workers in Lagos State-owned universities have announced plans to begin an indefinite strike over alleged failure by the state government to implement agreements reached with their unions and pay outstanding arrears.

The Joint Action Committee, JAC, representing workers in the institutions, issued the warning during a media briefing on Friday, saying its members would withdraw their services from October 3 if the government failed to address their demands.

The committee comprises the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.

The affected institutions are Lagos State University, LASU; Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM; Lagos State University of Science and Technology, LASUSTECH; and Lagos State University of Education, LASUED.

JAC Chairman, Prof Ibrahim Bakare, said the industrial action would begin at midnight on Saturday following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the Lagos State Government.

According to Bakare, the decision followed several months of negotiations which the unions said failed to produce the implementation of agreements reached with the government.

He said the unions and the state government had made progress during a meeting on August 31, when both sides signed a resolution covering revised allowance structures, tax-exempt benefits and payment of outstanding arrears alongside the September salaries.

However, Bakare said the September salaries were eventually paid without the agreed adjustments or the outstanding payments.

The unions consequently said the arrears owed to university workers had accumulated to nine months, covering January to September 2026.

Their demands include full implementation of the 2026 Federal Government of Nigeria and staff unions’ agreement across the four institutions, payment of the nine months of outstanding arrears and compliance with the agreed non-taxable status of negotiated allowances.

The workers are also demanding the introduction of a 15 per cent Lagos Factor allowance to compensate for the economic pressures associated with living and working in Lagos.

In addition, the unions want the state government to fulfil earlier commitments attributed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, including a 20 per cent salary increase announced in 2023 and the provision of five Marcopolo buses for transporting students and staff.

Bakare said the unions had exhausted what they described as available administrative channels for resolving the dispute and considered their demands legitimate and financially manageable for the state government.

The committee appealed to students, parents and civil society organisations to hold the government accountable for any disruption to academic and administrative activities that may result from the strike.

The unions also left room for intervention before the strike deadline, calling for urgent action from the state government to resolve the issues and prevent the shutdown of the affected universities.