Nigerian University lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have lambasted the federal government of Nigeria for paying half salaries to lecturers in October.
Africa Today News, New York had earlier reported that the federal government of Nigeria had explained that the lecturers were paid based on the days they worked in the stated month.
However, in a swift response on Tuesday, ASUU president, Emmanuel Osodeke, pointed out that its members are not casual workers and should not be treated as such.
In a statement made available to reporters, Osodeke said the union’s national executive committee (NEC) ‘noted with dismay that paying academics on a ‘pro-rata’ basis, like casual workers, is unprecedented in the history of university-oriented labour relations and therefore condemned this attempt to reduce Nigerian scholars to casual workers in its entirety.’
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He added: ‘This we believe, as a union of thinkers, intellectuals, and patriots, will not only aid the process of amicable resolution of the crisis but will also set the tone for smooth industrial relations between Government and Nigerian workers at large.’
Osodeke commended the lecturers for their ‘perseverance’ and thanked students and their parents for their understanding while ASUU pursue a resolution within the ambit of the law.
Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Femi Falana on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to stop provoking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in a dispute over wages.
Mr Falana, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the lecturers should be paid their full salaries for months they were on a strike action.
‘The doctrine of ‘no work, no pay’ is totally inapplicable to’ ASUU members, Mr Falana, a counsel to ASUU, said on Tuesday.
He submitted that the lecturers still have to cover the work missed between February and October.