The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has faulted the Federal Authorities’s ‘no work, no pay’ stance over the continued strike by the Tutorial Workers Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as insensitive and deceptive.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, mentioned in Abuja yesterday that the economic motion by college lecturers was pressured on them by the federal government’s refusal to implement agreements freely entered into with the union.
Ajaero famous that the general public schooling system continues to endure from persistent underfunding and the federal government’s failure to honour commitments made to tutorial employees.
“The federal government’s continued refusal to implement agreements voluntarily reached with lecturers and employees is undermining public tertiary establishments,” Ajaero mentioned.
“The graduation of a two-week warning strike by ASUU is a direct consequence of the Federal Authorities’s refusal to honour collectively bargained agreements. This motion is a obligatory response to the neglect of a elementary pillar of our society.”
The NLC chief criticised the federal government’s resort to threats reasonably than dialogue, describing the ‘no work, no pay’ coverage as an unproductive type of grandstanding.
“This misrepresents the state of affairs. The breach of contract lies with the state, not the students. The lecturers are keen to work, however the authorities, by reneging on its commitments, has made it unimaginable for them to take action with the dignity and circumstances their occupation deserves. The core precept stays: ‘No Pay, No Work,’” Ajaero said.
He defined that the ASUU battle goes past a mere industrial dispute, stressing that it displays a broader social disaster in Nigeria.
“Whereas the youngsters of the elite attend non-public establishments or examine overseas, the youngsters of the working class and the poor are left in a public schooling system being systematically weakened. This creates an academic divide that limits social mobility and perpetuates inequality,” he mentioned.
“An informed populace is crucial for a progressive nation, and the present strategy seems designed to order high quality schooling as a commodity for the privileged few.”
The NLC reaffirmed its full solidarity with ASUU and different unions within the tertiary schooling sector, urging the Federal Authorities to desert its threats and instantly deal with the problems outlined within the negotiated agreements.
It warned that if the federal government stays unresponsive after the two-week warning strike, the NLC would convene an emergency assembly with its associates within the schooling sector to develop a complete technique for engagement.
“The battle of ASUU is our battle. The struggle for public schooling is a struggle for Nigeria’s future. We’ll not enable these unions to face alone. We demand that the Federal Authorities use this two-week window to current a concrete plan for the complete implementation of all agreements,” it mentioned.
“The selection is evident: honour the agreements and salvage public schooling, or face the resolute and unified drive of the whole Nigerian workforce.”
