The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticised the Federal Government’s enforcement of a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy against striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), expressing full solidarity with the union in its ongoing dispute over unfulfilled agreements.
ASUU, on Sunday, commenced a two-week warning strike beginning October 13, citing the government’s failure to implement the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the release of withheld salaries, and the need for sustainable funding to revitalise public universities.
NLC President Joe Ajaero described the industrial action as a “direct consequence” of the government’s persistent breach of collectively bargained agreements, saying the lecturers were left with no other option after years of government neglect.
Ajaero Urges FG to Use Two-Week Window to Resolve Crisis
In a statement, Ajaero faulted the government for resorting to threats instead of dialogue, saying the crisis in public universities stems from official disregard for agreements reached in good faith.
“Rather than engaging sincerely, the government has turned to the unproductive threat of ‘No Work, No Pay’. The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars,” Ajaero said. “The NLC therefore declares full solidarity with ASUU and all other unions in the tertiary education sector.”
The labour leader urged the government to abandon its punitive stance and instead use the two-week strike window to address the core issues affecting lecturers and Nigeria’s public education system.
He warned that the persistent underfunding of public universities and government’s disregard for labour agreements have deepened inequality between the children of the elite and those of ordinary Nigerians.
“This struggle goes beyond an isolated industrial dispute,” Ajaero noted. “It is a reflection of a widening societal divide. While the children of the privileged attend private schools or study abroad, the children of the working class are trapped in a deteriorating public education system. This perpetuates inequality and threatens national progress.”
Ajaero disclosed that the NLC would convene an emergency meeting with all its affiliates in the tertiary education sector to develop a coordinated response to the ongoing crisis.
He warned that if the government remains unresponsive after the two-week warning strike, the NLC would take decisive action in defence of public education and Nigeria’s future.
“The choice is clear,” he said. “Either the government honours its agreements and salvages public education or faces the united force of the Nigerian workforce.”
