Author: Phlippages
The Nigerian Government has insisted on no work, no pay for the striking university lecturers.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Federal Ministry of Education, claiming that the “No-work-no-pay” principle adopted by the government is part of the Nigerian Labour Law and rooted in one of the core principles of the employment relationship.
Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had on Monday extended its industrial action which is in its sixth month.
The union extended the ongoing strike on Monday morning after its National Executive Council meeting at its headquarters at the University of Abuja.
ASUU president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, earlier confirmed that the union’s NEC would meet on Monday to decide on whether to call off the strike based on the Nigerian government’s offer or declare an indefinite strike.
ASUU embarked on strike on February 14, 2022, over the government’s failure to meet its demands including improved university funding.
But while the government has addressed some of ASUU’s demands, the university lecturers’ union rejected some of the government’s offers describing them as “miserly.”
Meanwhile, the statement reads, “I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter with Ref. No. COPSUN/EX/056 dated 19th August, 2022 on the above subject and to reiterate that the principle of ‘No-work-no-pay’ is a part of our Labour Law and common Law and it is rooted in one of the core principles of the employment relationship.
“Based on the above premise, the FG has refused to concede to ASUU’s demand to be paid a backlog of their withheld emoluments for the past five months because it believes that there should be consequences for their actions. The doctrine of ‘no work no pay’ is a fundamental axiom in Labour and Industrial Relations.”
