The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, have decried the emerging implications of the no-work-no-pay policy imposed by the Federal Government in the course of the prevailing strike.
According to the National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke; the last time he received his salary was in February. He stressed that the government’s strategy of withholding their salaries was intended to weaken their stand over the union’s demands.
Osodeke appeals to members of the union not to be deterred by the harsh policy.
The Union President said the government has failed to get back to them since the negotiations were concluded three weeks ago.
Osodeke said, “We have not heard anything from the government. This is the third week after the meeting with the renegotiation committee headed by Prof. Briggs. We will keep waiting until they respond.
“Ngige believes that our members will become hungry and beg them, but we will not beg them. We are ready to wait for a year, two years, till they respond.
“If it means doing taxi work, selling groundnut, doing farming to feed, we will engage in those ventures but he should be rest assured that his strategy of withholding our salaries will not work.”
The President of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam said the government is using coercive means through salary stoppage to frustrate the striking unions.
He said, “The government itself has been delaying the process of negotiations. It seems they are comfortable with allowing the strike to linger long because there has been no serious commitment to any issues so far.
