THE National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is currently holding a crucial meeting over the half salaries paid to its members last week by the Federal Government.
The meeting, which started at about 12:50 pm on Monday, is taking place at the union’s headquarters in the University of Abuja.
The ICIR gathered the meeting was convened to decide on the appropriate response to the Federal Government’s action.
ASUU had, on February 14, 2022, embarked on strike action over unimplemented agreements between it and the government.
After a prolonged strike, the Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige, after what he described as “failed negotiations”, dragged the striking lecturers before the National Industrial Court (NIC).
The court, on September 21, ordered ASUU to call off the strike and resume duty immediately.
ASUU had appealed the judgment, but the Appeal Court also handed down a similar order, asking the striking lecturers to resume academic activities.
The strike was finally suspended on October 14, 2022.
During the strike, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government vowed to sustain its No-Work, No-Pay policy in a bid to force the university teachers back to class.
While justifying the half salaries paid to the ASUU members, Ngige said the Federal Government cannot pay the lecturers for work they didn’t do.
He said that the lecturers were paid in “pro rata for the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action”.
“Pro-rata was done because you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied,” the minister added.
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