November 30, (THEWILL) – Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have received full salaries for the month of November 2022.
A senior member of the union at Bayero University, Kano, who disclosed the development to Punch on Wednesday, said the Federal Government is still withholding the eight-month arrears.
“Some of our members have started receiving salaries and I can confirm to you that we received our full salaries for the month of November. However, the arrears are still withheld”, the ASUU member said.
Lecturers of the Federal Government owned universities embarked on strike on February 14, 2022, to demand the release of revitalisation funds for universities; deployment of the University Transparency Accountability System (UTAS), for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers; release of earned allowances; the release of the white paper report of the visitation panels to universities and other issues involving the ASUU-FGN 2009 agreement.
The strike was suspended on October 14, following an interlocutory order by the National Industrial Court on September 21, which ordered ASUU members to resume work, pending the resolution of their dispute with the government.
However, the Federal Government had paid ASUU members half their salary for the month of October 2022 and also withheld the 8-month pay, the period the lecturers were on strike.
In a statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, the Government explained that lecturers were paid their October salary pro-rata because they cannot be paid for work not done.
But ASUU had described the ‘pro-rata’ payment as not only an aberration, but a contravention of all known rules of engagement in any contract of employment for academics in any part of the world.
President of the union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, had said his members are not casual workers, but intellectuals, who cannot be paid on a pro-rata basis.
While the strike lingered, the Government adopted a ‘no work, no pay’ approach with the union.
The National Executive Council of the union is expected to hold a crucial meeting in the coming days over the withheld salaries.
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