Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, wey be senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), don ask President Muhammadu Buhari say make dem pay members of di Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) dia full salary.
DIs mata dey follow tori wey comot last week Thursday say di federal goment bin pay lecturers half salary for di month of October.
Di lecturers bin say dem dey very disappointed in wetin di gomemt do.
Asuu bin call off dia eight-month strike on 14 October.
Olajide Oshundun, head of press and public relations, federal ministry of labour and employment, tok say di union members bin collect dia October salary pro-rata and not half salary wey tori pipo report.
“Dem do pro-rata was because you no fit pay dem for work wey dem no do…”
Falana wey also be ASUU legal representative, tok say di position of di goment dey “factually faulty and legally misleading”.
Im say since di union call of dia industrial action and adjust dia calendar to make sure say di 2021/2022 academic session no dey cancelled, den dem no fit apply di mata of “no work, no pay”.
Oga Falana say make President Buhari no listen to di advice of Chris Ngige, di minister of labour, and pay ASUU members dia full salaries from February to October.
“Therefore, onto di facts and circumstances of di ASUU strike di doctrine of ‘no work, no pay’ no dey fit dey applied as students wey dem no teach during di strike dey currently attend lectures and write examinations.”
Di SAN follow give example of members of di Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) wey bin do two months strike and em still collect dia salary for di period of di strike afta dem call of di industrail action.
“Di federal goment drag di striking doctors to di national industrial court wey order NARD to call off di strike.
“As soon as dem call off di strike, President Buhari troway di ‘no work, no pay’ principle and order di payment of di salaries for di two months wey di strike last.
“Dat time di President overrule Dr. Ngige sake of interest of industrial harmony for health sector.
Di senior lawyer say based on dat kain example, ASUU recently call off dia 8-month old strike in compliance wit di order of di national industrial court and di court of appeal suppose get di same kain treatment.
“We therefore dey to call on President Buhari make e no hear di advice of Dr. Ngige and direct di public universities to pay di full salary of each lecturer from February to October 2022.”
Oga Falana come follow tok say make e no come be say members of di new university unions (CONUA) wey di ministry of labour and employment dey plan to pay dia withheld and rectify di ‘half salaries’ go happen.
E say if dem dey selective, e go make pipo vex and fit cause fresh strike for public universities.
Why ASUU bin go on strike
ASUU bin go on strike for eight months.
Di public universities lecturers dey demand di implementation of one agreement di federal goment sign wit dem for 2009 plus oda demands.
One of di major issue wey dey block negotiation between goment delegates and ASUU na di payment platform wey dem say goment must use to take pay dem salary.
Di president of ASUU Victor Emmanuel Osodeke say di National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) wey suppose conduct integrity test on di University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) don abandon am even afta dem upgrade di payment platform.
But Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige say Asuu dey try prolong di strike by making negotiation impossible.
E explain give say why dem dey insist on UTAS even wen NITDA say e fail integrity test and pipo fit commit fraud on top di platform wey lead to huge moni.
As at now di mata dey before di Appeal court afta goment carry dem go di National Industrial Court.
