Education in Nigeria
Half-salary: ASUU rules out another strike
Details of Tuesday’s Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have emerged.
According to credible sources at the meeting, the union resolved not to embark on another strike following the payment of half salaries to members by the federal government.
The (NEC) meeting which started Monday evening, ended in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to the sources, the union, resolved to wait for the outcome of the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,Femi Gbajabiamila, in its faceoff with the government over the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement successive administrations.
“Although, no member of the body, including the President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who attended the meeting held at the University of Abuja campus, where ASUU’s headquarters located, has spoken about the outcome, a source said members resolved not to explore the strike option in getting the government to address the contending issues.
“Some members had pushed for declaration of total and comprehensive strike across public universities across the country, but majority kicked against the action, saying it was no longer fashionable under the present circumstance.
“Those against the strike argued that it would be wrong to embark on the action again, thus compelling students who had already returned to their various schools, following earlier suspension of the action, to return home.
“The statement released by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the effect that government would not pay members full salaries, was said to have further deflated the argument by those who had pushed for strike as a last option.
“Some members had suggested that since the suspension of the strike was at the speaker’s instance, following his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, it would be wrong to resume action when he (speaker) was still pushing to have the federal government rescind its decisions on no-work,no-pay policy.
“Embarking on another round of strike was not considered an option in resolving the current issues with the federal government at the meeting,” one of the sources disclosed.
Asked what really transpired at the meeting, he said: “You would hear the rest through the appropriate channel.
“As a body, we have people that speak for us. You will hear from them on what really happened.”
However, in a statement after the meeting, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, slammed the Federal Government over the payment of half salaries to lecturers in October.
He condemned the ‘pro-rata’ payment to the union’s members and accused the government of an attempt to reduce Nigerian scholars to casual workers.
According to the ASUU boss, the response of the government, especially its ‘pro-rata’ payment of October salaries of academics, portrayed them as daily paid workers.
“This is not only an aberration but also a contravention of all-known rules of engagement in any contract of employment for academics the world over.”
