There may not be respite in sight to the lingering crisis that has crippled academic activities in the country’s public universities for over six months as the federal government and the striking lecturers have been unable to reach a truce. FRANK IKPEFAN reports that one of the knotty issues is the inability of both parties to reach a consensus on whether or not to pay academic workers for the period wasted during the industrial unrest.
There appears to be a stalemate in discussions between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) because of the decision of the government to invoke the no-work, no-pay rule. With the decision, the government has sent a strong message to trade unions in the country that have adopted strike as a tool for arm-twisting governments at all levels by invoking the no-work, no-pay rule.
The government’s position was delivered by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, during a press briefing with State House Correspondents in Abuja. While the Minister claimed that government had resolved almost all the contentious issues with the striking lecturers, except on two fronts – payments of withheld salaries and the conditions of service, the union disagreed. ASUU challenged Adamu to present evidence before the public of any of the issues the government had pursued to a conclusion.
Although Adamu didn’t disclose the second issue driving a wedge between the government and the leadership of ASUU from reaching a truce, a statement by the university lecturers suggested that the condition of service presented to them by the federal government team may be the second knot that the government was trying to untie. The university lecturers described the government as “miserly” in the statement.
On February 14, ASUU declared a one month warning strike that soon escalated into a full-blown strike. The strike, which has kept public universities shut and academic activities grounded and students and Nigerians bewildered, is in its sixth month, with no end in sight. Some of the demands of the union included: funding for revitalisation of public universities, payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA)/Earned Allowances (EA), payment of salary shortfalls, stopping the proliferation of state universities by governors and setting up of visitation panels. Others are: renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a payment platform for university lecturers and payment of withheld salaries and non-remittance of check–off dues.
Although Adamu didn’t disclose the second issue driving a wedge between the government and the leadership of ASUU from reaching a truce, a statement by the university lecturers suggested that the condition of service presented to them by the federal government team may be the second knot that the government was trying to untie. The university lecturers described the government as “miserly” in the statement.
On February 14, ASUU declared a one month warning strike that soon escalated into a full-blown strike. The strike, which has kept public universities shut and academic activities grounded and students and Nigerians bewildered, is in its sixth month, with no end in sight. Some of the demands of the union included: funding for revitalisation of public universities, payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA)/Earned Allowances (EA), payment of salary shortfalls, stopping the proliferation of state universities by governors and setting up of visitation panels. Others are: renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement, adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a payment platform for university lecturers and payment of withheld salaries and non-remittance of check–off dues.
“So, I believe teachers will think twice before they join the strike if they know that at the end they are not going to be paid and the federal government is not acting arbitrarily. Before, it was some magnanimity on its part, there is a law which says if there is no work, there will be no pay. I believe this will be a very strong element that will be a deterrent from going on strike. On the contrary, unions in tertiary institutions in the country, especially the Academic Staff union of Universities (ASUU), have been engaged in recurring and avoidable strikes that have crippled the university system.”
Adamu offered to take over negotiations with the university unions from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who has been at the forefront on the negotiations on July 19, 2022.
To force the unions to return to classrooms, the Federal Government invoked the no-work no-pay rule in March. According to section 43 (1) – (14) of the Trade Dispute Act, an employer has the right to withhold salaries of an employee for work not done. Speaking with State House Correspondents on Thursday, Adamu said: “All contentious issues between the government and ASUU had been settled except the quest for members’ salaries for the period of strike to be paid, a demand that Buhari has flatly rejected.”
He stated that the government rejected ASUU’s demand to be paid the salary backlog because it believes that there has to be penalties for their action. Adamu said: “If you think it is for the government other than what the government is doing in the university to stop the strike, the standard the government has taken now is not to pay the months in which no work was done. I think this is the only thing that is in the hands of the government to ensure that there is a penalty for some behaviour like this.
So, I believe teachers will think twice before they join the strike if they know that at the end they are not going to be paid and the federal government is not acting arbitrarily. Before, it was some magnanimity on its part, there is a law which says if there is no work, there will be no pay. I believe this will be a very strong element that will be a deterrent from going on strike. On the contrary, unions in tertiary institutions in the country, especially the Academic Staff union of Universities (ASUU), have been engaged in recurring and avoidable strikes that have crippled the university system.”
Adamu offered to take over negotiations with the university unions from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who has been at the forefront on the negotiations on July 19, 2022.