After almost eight months of strike, ASUU members are spoiling for another showdown with the federal government over issues concerning payment of accrued salaries.
The federal government has withheld salaries of the lecturers for about eight months sparking outrage Members of the union say the current situation is unacceptable and they will go the extra length to seek justice . ASUU has therefore, alerted Nigerians of their readiness for a fresh confrontation with the government, which they claim will surpass all previous ones in Nigerian universities.
Consequently, ASUU has sought intervention of stakeholders and well- meaning Nigerians to prevail on the federal government to pay members across the country their withheld eight months salaries.
The chairman of ASUU, University of Ilorin branch, Prof Moyosore Ajao, raised the alarm at a special congress of the local branch held at the university’s main auditorium.
“Though we have resumed work in our university, government’s ignoble stance of withholding our eight months’ salaries based on its ill-advised policy of ‘No work, No Pay’ is set to trigger fresh crisis.
“In the coming days, the union would respond by considering to invoke the ‘No Pay, No work’ policy and would abandon the works that have accumulated for those period which government has falsely claimed, through Chris Ngige, that our members have not worked.
“A fresh crisis, which would surpass all previous ones, is looming in Nigerian universities, saying the union members would not continue to do free work.
“Our union and its members should not be held responsible for the consequences that its actions, in response to the crude wickedness of the Nigerian state, would have on all stakeholders
“As a law-abiding union, we have heeded the directive of the court which directed that we resume to our duty posts while the substantive matter is being heard.
“However, after resumption from strike and to our utmost dismay, government decided, that half salaries be paid to our members for the month of October, 2022. This development is unacceptable and would be resisted by our union.
“The fact is that academics are not casual workers. Only casual workers receive pay prorate,” he said.
They warned the government to stop the casualisation of ASUU members through payment of half salaries