University workers, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), continue to face uncertainty as they seek the release of salaries withheld during last year’s prolonged industrial action.
Last week, the National Industrial Court dismissed ASUU’s case against the federal government over the withheld salaries from the 2022 strike period.
The court granted the government’s injunction to halt ASUU’s strike until the substantive suit is resolved. In November, upon returning to work, ASUU members were surprised to receive half salaries for only 18 working days in October, citing the government’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy.
ASUU filed a separate lawsuit in June, challenging the discriminatory treatment of its members regarding salary withholdings during the strike. However, the court recently dismissed the case, labeling it an abuse of court process.
Before this judgment, President Bola Tinubu had approved a partial waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ order for ASUU, allowing four months of withheld salary to be paid. However, the union expressed discontent with the attached conditions, rejecting what they deemed as ‘slavery.’
ASUU UNN branch chairman, Comrade Nobert Oyibo Eze, criticized the government’s handling of the situation, emphasizing the need for fair treatment of workers and questioning the allocation of funds in the national budget.
Despite the court’s decisions, Eze highlighted the challenges faced by university workers and called for a system that prioritizes the needs of the people. The situation remains tense, with ASUU members demanding fair compensation for their work and expressing concerns about the efficacy of the legal system in addressing their grievances.”
