The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Abuja chapter, has declared that the ongoing strike by the union continues, daring the government to inform Nigerians of any concrete action taken to address the concerns of the union.
This was stated by Dr Kassim Umaru, UNIABUJA branch chairman, in an interview with journalists at the end of its Congress on Tuesday.
According to Umaru, Congress threw its weight behind the National Executive Council and supports the continuation of the strike given that the government has not done enough to address the contending issues.
He said, “As far as we are concerned, the federal government has not done anything to our various demands.
“The federal government should tell the Nigerian public what they have done. The two committees that were set up, the Nimi Briggs committee was set up, the Jubrin committee was set up and these committees had their recommendations.”
Reacting to the ‘no work, no pay’ policy as stated by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, Umaru said the ILO and the 1981 trade Union act were very clear on that.
“Our salaries are always negotiated, it is not something you feel you can pay us, it is something that you have to sit down to talk and agree that you can pay us.
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“As far as we concerned, our job is different from any other civil servants; it is the job you are going back to do, you are not paying for an hour you are paying for the job we have done, so it is their responsibility to pay us and if they said they are not paying us, it is a joke taken too far.
“As it is, they have not called our union and Nigerians should know that we have not been called, no invitation to our union and all that we know is the strike continues.”
Commenting on speculations that government ratified fresh N100 billion for the university unions as part of the 2009 agreement, Umaru said the report was not backed by action.
He added, “Is there any document to our union? We should begin to ask them these questions. The students will have to be patient, it is a fight we have to do once and for all and it is a fight for the future of unborn children.
“We have no alternative than to do what we are doing and we must do it so that we can compete with the external world.
“In the entire world today, nobody jokes with education. If you are talking of economy, you are talking of cultural and social aspects, you must invest in education. No single country jokes with education like the way Nigerians are doing,” the ASUU chairman said.
Source: Punch