Fed Govt stops ASUU, NASU members’ salary

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE ‘no work, no pay policy for the striking university-based unions, according to reports released yesterday.

Recall that on February 14, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) began a four-week warning strike, which was extended when it concluded, after the government’s apparent inability to resolve the disputed issues that prompted the strike.

The Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprised of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, NASU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, declared a two-week warning strike in March, which was later extended, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, also declared a two-week warning strike in March.

Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, President of NAAT, confirmed this, saying that members of his union were not given their salaries in March.

He further said that the government had ignored all strike notices and failed to acknowledge all letters made in that regard.

The NAAT President also told Vanguard that the government had implemented the “no work, no pay” approach instead of engaging striking university workers in a dialogue about the disputed topics.

He did say, however, that confiscating the salaries of union members would not cause them to call off the strike because it was in the system’s best interests.

“As of today, we have reached the fifth week of our warning strike, the first two weeks were rolled over for four weeks,” Comrade Nwokoma stated when asked about the union’s strike. Unfortunately, as of today, the government has not acknowledged any of the strike notices or letters we have sent them.

“The government has not called us to a round table conversation, nor has it felt compelled to do so to find a way ahead.” Unfortunately, the government has chosen to cease paying us salaries, citing the premise of “no labor, no pay.”