The Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Monday opted to continue their nationwide protest, instead of embarking on another round of industrial action over their eight-months’ salaries being withheld by the Federal Government.
The decision was arrived at after a lengthy
National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Calabar, Cross River State.
The NEC meeting, which started yesterday, is
to discuss the ‘No Pay, No Work’ policy, should the government fail to release
their withheld March to September salaries and the remaining parts of their
October salaries.
ASUU has been at loggerheads with the
federal government over unfulfilled pledges and the continued refusal to pay
the eight-month salaries of its members withheld for the period of the last
prolonged industrial action by the union.
NEC is the highest decision-making body of
the union and sources, who are members of the body, have confirmed the
possibility of declaring another round of indefinite strike action by ASUU at
the meeting or later in the month.
Meanwhile, university students, shop owners
and other service providers on the campuses are agitated about the development,
saying such action would dash many hopes.
A member of ASUU-NEC, who pleaded to be
anonymous for not being authorised to speak on the matter, told Premium Times
that the meeting was part of a quarterly meeting held by the union.
The official said: “I am not sure that’s an
option before the NEC, but nobody can tell until during the meeting.” In the
past weeks, the lecturers declared a lecture-free day and carried out peaceful
protests on their respective campuses.
During the protests, they threatened to
invoke a ‘No Pay, No Work’ policy, should the government fail to release their
withheld March to September salaries and the remaining parts of their October
salaries.
After ASUU suspended its strike on October
14, the lecturers were paid a ‘mutilated’ salary for the month, and the
remaining months’ salaries withheld.
The government said the payment was on a
pro-rata basis as the union only suspended their strike two weeks into the
month. But ASUU protested, accusing the government of casualising the work of
the academics.
Despite protests and the intervention of
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the
executive arm of government has insisted it would not shift ground on
implementing the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy.