The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected the Federal Government’s declaration of a “no work, no pay” policy following the ongoing two-week warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a joint resolution reached after a meeting with various unions in the education sector, the NLC, alongside the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), and College of Education Staff Union (COESU), gave the Federal Government a four-week ultimatum to conclude all outstanding renegotiations related to the 2009 agreements.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero emphasized that the unions had resolved to work collectively in their struggles against what they described as government’s insincerity and recurring breach of agreements. Ajaero lamented that government officials often attend negotiation meetings without clear mandates, a situation he said contributes to the lingering crises across tertiary institutions.
He stated, “The era where the government signs agreements and later reneges on them while threatening unions is over. We have agreed to form a coordinated front to ensure full implementation of all pending agreements, review of wage structures, improved education funding in line with UNESCO standards, and protection of workers’ collective bargaining rights.”
The NLC President further warned that if the Federal Government fails to meet the unions’ demands within the four-week window, all affiliate unions across the country would embark on a nationwide industrial action. He also dismissed the “no work, no pay” stance of the government, describing it as unfair and provocative.
According to Ajaero, “The so-called policy of ‘no work, no pay’ should now be ‘no pay, no work.’ The government cannot continue to instigate crises by disobeying agreements and still punish workers for reacting. Ninety percent of strike actions in Nigeria are caused by government’s failure to honour its promises. You cannot cause a problem and expect others to bear the consequences.”
He concluded that the NLC and the unions would continue to push for accountability, sustainable education funding, and genuine dialogue, warning that the patience of Nigerian workers is fast running out.
[Vanguard]
