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Lecturers set to resume strike |
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set for a fresh war with the federal government over the government’s decision to pay lecturers half salaries for the month of October, 2022.
On the same day, the Minister of Labor and Employment, Chris
Ngige said the federal government cannot go against the “No Work, No Pay” rule
as it affects members of ASUU, and that their October salaries were computed on
this basis.
Already, the ASUU leadership is said to have summoned an
emergency meeting of its National Executive Council in Abuja, to decide its
response to the half October salaries paid by the federal government.
The National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke,
remarked: “Half salaries were paid, no reasons were given whatsoever. We learnt
that Ngige wrote to the office of the Accountant General and Integrated Payroll
and Personnel Information System and told them to only pay us for the period
when we called off the strike. We heard there was a letter to that effect but
we haven’t gotten it yet. We are going to summon a meeting.”
Anger erupted across the federal universities when members
of the union received half salaries in their accounts early this week.
ASUU members at the University of Jos yesterday ordered its
members to stay at home indefinitely, pending the payment of salaries withheld
by the federal government.
The ASUU branch made this known in a statement signed by the
branch chairman, Professor Lazarus Maigoro.
The statement reads, “One of the issues agreed at the
meeting was that 50 per cent of the backlog of eight months arrears of our
withheld salaries will be paid to our members immediately but as at the time of
writing this press release, only 17 days prorated October salary was paid to
our members by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
“Having stayed for about nine months running now, our
members in the University of Jos considered this an insult to them by the
Accountant General of the Federation. Is the Accountant General of the
Federation actually answerable to the Minister of Labor?
“We are also aware that the Minister of Labor and
Employment, Chris Ngige, wrote a memo to the Accountant General asking him to
pay our members only from the day we suspended the strike.
“This further creates doubts on our minds as to whether the
understanding reached with the leadership of the House of Representatives on
some of the issues will be implemented at all by those who are saddled with the
responsibility of doing so in order to avoid further needless strikes.
“From all indications, the Minister of Labor and Employment,
Chris Ngige, has personalized the matter between him and our union and is on a
mission for vendetta.
“It has become crystal clear now that he wasn’t happy that
the House of Representatives brokered a truce on some of the issues we went on
strike for and has gone behind to undermine it.
“It is also very clear to us now why he shamelessly walked
out on the leadership of the House of Representatives at one of the meetings
with all stakeholders to the glare of all Nigerians because he never wanted any
form of resolution to be reached on the issues being discussed.
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ASUU president during a meeting in Abuja |
“In view of the bottleneck placed by Ngige towards paying
our members the backlog of our salaries, the congress of ASUU University of Jos
met today (yesterday November 4, 2022) and resolved to stay at home, though not
on strike, until the backlog of the withheld salaries are paid.”
A University teacher in Lagos remarked: “I was shocked when
I received an alert from my bank and I noticed that I got half salary; they
didn’t even talk about the backlog of the eight months of the strike.”
ASUU had embarked on strike on February 14 to press home the
demand for improved funding for universities, review of salaries for lecturers,
among other issues.
Amid the back-and-forth over the union’s demands, the
federal government had threatened not to pay the lecturers for the strike
period, but a review of the decision was said to have been made.
On October 14, the union suspended its strike and directed
members to resume work immediately.
Ngige: Salaries Paid Based on No Work, No Pay Rule
The Minister of Labor and Employment has said that the
federal government is barred from doing anything about the No Work, No Pay rule
as it affects members of ASUU.
Against the background of the half salaries the federal
government paid the university teachers for the month of October, Ngige said
there was nothing unusual about it since the lecturers were paid according to
work done.
He said the issue of “No Work, No Pay” as it affects ASUU
members is before the National Industrial Court and cannot be reversed for now
unless the court says so.
“The court will have to pronounce whether a worker in
Nigeria can be on strike and receive pay, vis-a-vis the ASUU strike now. Can
they be paid?” asked the minister.
Meanwhile, arising from the decision of medical lecturers to
disassociate themselves from the last prolonged ASUU strike, the Medical and
Dental Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto
chapter said it took the action in the interest of the medical students and to
ensure that they concluded their ongoing examination.
A statement signed by the branch Chairman, Dr. B. Jibirin
said the association avoided a disruption of medical training that will further
worsen the already acute shortage of medical doctors in the country.
“Realising this emergency situation in the sub-region,
worsened by emerging public health threats, the medical lecturers in UDUS
decided to continue the academic activities during the ASUU strike to save our
health care from total collapse.
“To this end, the UDUS medical lecturers agreed to conduct
lectures and examinations during the period of the strike. In line with the
provisions of the Labor Act we wrote and sought the intervention of the
Minister of Labor, Employment and Productivity to ensure payment of our
salaries.”