Withheld salaries: Uncertainty as ASUU rejects FG’s offer

University workers affiliated with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are facing ongoing challenges in receiving their withheld salaries resulting from last year’s extended strike. Despite losing a legal battle against the federal government over the withheld salaries, the union’s pursuit for resolution continues.

Following an eight-month strike in 2022, ASUU’s attempt to recover salaries was dismissed by the National Industrial Court, which granted the federal government an interlocutory injunction to halt the strike pending a substantive suit. When members returned to work in November, they were surprised by the payment of only half salaries for 18 working days in October, in adherence to the government’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy.

In a separate lawsuit filed in June, ASUU contested the discriminatory treatment of its members, comparing it to other unions that received salaries during industrial actions. However, the recent court ruling deemed the case an abuse of court process and awarded a fine of N500,000 payable by ASUU to the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Despite President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a partial waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ order, allowing ASUU members to receive four months of withheld salary, the union remains resistant. They argue that signing the agreement would be akin to accepting ‘slavery,’ emphasizing the government’s failure to prioritize education funding.

The ASUU UNN branch chairman, Comrade Nobert Oyibo Eze, criticized the government’s approach, highlighting the discrepancy between funding for politicians’ privileges and the neglect of essential sectors like education. He emphasized the dire consequences for the country if the courts fail to uphold justice and warned that without salary payments, the university system’s functionality would be compromised.

Eze criticized the government’s failure to address the core issues that led to the strike, such as inadequate salaries and outdated negotiation terms since 2009. He called for a genuine commitment to improving the education system to prevent ongoing strikes and urged the government to prioritize the welfare of workers over political interests.