From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) or face a nationwide industrial action.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, gave the ultimatum on Monday after a closed-door meeting with representatives of ASUU and other affiliated unions in the education sector at the Labour House, Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance leaders of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP).
University lecturers had last week declared a two-week warning strike following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the government over its failure to implement agreements on improved welfare, university funding, and payment of withheld salaries.
ASUU’s key demands include the full implementation of the 2009 agreement, payment of three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries, improved funding for universities, protection from victimisation, settlement of outstanding promotions and salary arrears, and release of withheld cooperative and union deductions.
While the Federal Government has maintained its “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking lecturers, Ajaero criticised the decision, describing it as punitive and counterproductive.
“The so-called policy of no work, no pay will henceforth be no pay, no work. You cannot benefit from an action you instigated. We have discovered that 90 per cent of strike actions in this country are caused by the government’s failure to honour agreements,” he said.
Ajaero explained that the four-week ultimatum was part of the NLC’s renewed resolve to protect workers’ interests and restore stability to Nigeria’s public universities.
“We have decided to give the Federal Government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. They have started talks with ASUU, but the problem goes beyond ASUU. That is why we are extending this to four weeks,” he said.
“If after four weeks the negotiation is not concluded, the organs of the NEC will meet and take nationwide action involving all workers and unions in the country. The era of signing agreements, reneging on them, and threatening unions has come to an end,” he added.
The NLC President warned that the labour movement would no longer tolerate the government’s repeated breaches of negotiated agreements, stressing that workers were prepared to collectively resist any further delays in addressing the issues.
