The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has told the federal government that it cannot intimidate the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) with a “no work, no pay” policy.
TheHintsNews reports that ASUU had declared a two-week strike over the inability of the federal government to implement the agreement reached with the university lecturers.
The President of NKC, Joe Ajaero in a statement issued Monday expressed concern by the persistent crisis in Nigeria’s public education system, marked by chronic underfunding and a failure to honour agreements.
He added that the government’s continued refusal to implement agreements voluntarily reached with lecturers and workers is undermining public tertiary institutions.
Ajaero added: “The commencement of a two-week warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is a direct consequence of the federal government’s refusal to honour collectively bargained agreements.
“This action is a necessary response to the neglect of a fundamental pillar of our society.
“Rather than engaging in good faith to resolve the crisis, the government has resorted to the unproductive threat of “No Work, No Pay.” This misrepresents the situation.
“The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars. The lecturers are willing to work, but the government, by reneging on its commitments, has made it impossible for them to do so with the dignity and conditions their profession deserves. The core principle remains: ‘No Pay, No Work.’”
Ajaero maintained that this struggle extended beyond an isolated industrial dispute, saying it reflected a broader societal issue.
He noted that while the children of the elite attend private institutions or study abroad, the children of the working class and the poor are left in a public education system being systematically weakened.
This, he said, created an educational divide that limits social mobility and perpetuates inequality.