The Federal Government, on Wednesday, declared the two-week warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as illegal and an act of corruption.
KanyiDaily recalls that ASUU had on Monday declared a two-week warning strike to protest the non-payment of salaries of lecturers not enrolled in the government’s Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
While addressing the State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, accused ASUU of not following laid down procedures before embarking on the industrial action.
Ngige said the varsity lecturers did not give the government the “mandatory notice” required of a union before proceeding on the strike.
“I was shocked on Monday when I read and saw some people coming out of the university that lecturers have gone on strike.
“I have my children in Nigerian university and I saw them and it is not a very cherry news. They didn’t give us the mandatory notice before going on strike. So for a start, this strike is illegal.
“They said it is a warning striking but there is nothing like warning strike. A strike is withdrawal of services for which you are being paid.
“Then, the question will arise, if you don’t go to work, do you want to be paid? Is it not corruption? So this is the dilemma,’’ he said.
The minister, however, stated that his ministry had invited ASUU, the Minister of Education, Accountant-General as well as the Minister of Finance, National Planning and National Planning on Thursday to deliberate on the matter with a view to finding possible solution to the problems. He said:
“So to solve the dilemma, I have invited them to the meeting on Thursday. I have invited the minister of education, their principal employer, the finance ministry and the accountant general of the federation.
“So, we will meet and discuss the way forward because no employee is empowered to dictate to his employer on how he or she should be paid.
“There is an ILO convention on it. The important thing is that you receive your compensation for services rendered or work done as and when due.
“So, we hope to solve the problems. ASUU are Nigerians, they are patriotic but tomorrow we hope to engage them.’’
This is coming 2 months after the Federal Government stopped the payment of salaries for all workers of tertiary institutions who are not enrolled on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
