The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has rejected the No Work, No Pay policy of the Federal Government against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, over the union’s recently suspended strike.
Also, the workers’ body asked the government to honour all collective bargaining agreements with unions in the tertiary education sub-sector, especially with regards to wages and conditions of service.
These were contained in a communique issued by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, and Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, after their National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Kebbi State on Monday October 24. In it, the NLC said it observed a collapse of effective collective bargaining machinery in the tertiary education sub-sector.
“This fact is buttressed by recent protracted industrial dispute in public universities in the country which was consummated in industrial litigation, arm-twisting of conciliation efforts and extreme violations of human and trade union rights, withholding of the salaries of university workers and interference in trade union activities including balkanization of trade unions in the tertiary education sub-sector and overt threats to proscribe existing trade unions,” it said.
The Congress said it resolved to defend trade union independence as guaranteed by the clear provisions of labour laws and asked the government to release the withheld salaries owed the university workers.
It “called on the Minister of Labour and Employment (Chris Ngige) to respect the provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution, Trade Unions Act (CAP T14 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria), Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on respect for trade union independence, promotion of tripartism and social dialogue in the exercise of his mandate as a minister.”