The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Jos chapter, has resolved not to resume lectures until the Federal Government pays them their backlog of salaries as agreed with the leadership of the House of Representatives, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The union described the payment of 17 days prorated October salary to its members as an insult by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation on the directive of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
In a press statement issued on Friday and signed by the ASUU Chairman, the University of Jos, Associate Prof. Lazarus L. Maigoro, said the decision was taken after a congress meeting held at the ASUU Secretariat.
The statement said, “In view of the bottleneck placed by Ngige towards paying our members the backlog of our salaries, the congress of ASUU University of Jos met today 4th November, 2022 and resolved to stay at home, though not on strike until the backlog of the withheld salaries are paid.
“For the avoidance of doubt, our members are back to work, willing and ready to work but are unable to work. Based on the revised academic calender for the 2020/2021 session approved by the senate of the Univeristy, lectures should have started already but the challenge of lack of payment of salaries has constrained our members from going to the classroom to teach.
“What this implies is that the students who have resumed already will have to wait indefinitly while we wait for our withheld salaries to be paid to us, unfortunately. The struggle continues” he stated.
The Union expressed doubt over the implementation of the resolution reached between the union and the leadership of the House of Representatives, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
“Nigerians will recall that the more than eight months strike embarked upon by our union was suspended on the 14th of October, 2022 after our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
“The strike was suspended ostensibly because of the court order that directed our members to resume work because we are a law-abiding union and some understanding on some of the contentious issues reached with the leadership of the Federal House of Representatives led by the Rt. Hon Speaker, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.
“One of the issues agreed at the meeting was that 50% of the backlog of eight months’ arrears of our withheld salaries will be paid to our members immediately, but as at the time of writing this press release, only 17 days prorated October salary was paid to our members by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.”
The Union accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, of personalizing the matter between him and ASUU and said the Minister is on a mission for vendetta. I
“It has become crystal clear now that the minister wasn’t happy that the House of Representatives brokered a truce on some of the issues we went on strike for and has gone behind to undermine it,” the statement said.
REPORTERS AT LARGE reported that the ASUU conditionally suspended its eight-month-old industrial action on Friday, October 14, 2022.
