University workers represented by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are experiencing continued uncertainty as they seek the release of withheld salaries resulting from a protracted industrial action in 2022. The union recently lost a legal battle against the federal government over the withheld salaries.
The National Industrial Court (NIC) dismissed ASUU’s case against the Minister of Labour and Employment and the Accountant General of the Federation. The union had been on an eight-month strike in 2022, focusing on issues such as the revitalization of public universities and a review of lecturers’ salaries and allowances.
The NIC granted the federal government an interlocutory injunction to restrain ASUU from continuing the strike, leading to the withholding of salaries. Upon the union’s return to work in November 2022, the federal government implemented the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy, paying members pro rata for the days worked during the strike.
Despite ASUU’s demand for full salaries for the strike period, the NIC upheld the government’s right to withhold salaries of workers engaging in industrial action. In response, ASUU filed a separate lawsuit against the federal government, challenging the discriminatory treatment of its members.
Last week, the President of the NIC, Justice Benedict Kanyip, dismissed ASUU’s case, deeming it an abuse of court process. The court ordered ASUU to pay five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000) to the Attorney-General of the Federation within 30 days.
Before the court judgment, President Bola Tinubu had approved a partial waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ order against ASUU members. However, the waiver came with conditions, including a Document of Understanding that this would be the last exceptional waiver granted to ASUU.
ASUU members, unwilling to accept the conditions attached to the waiver, viewed it as an infringement on their rights. Despite the court ruling and the presidential waiver, ASUU leaders maintain that the government has not officially communicated the offer of four months’ salary accruals out of the eight months withheld.
The ASUU UNN branch chairman, Comrade Nobert Oyibo Eze, expressed concern about the government’s approach and criticized the political class for prioritizing personal interests over public welfare. He emphasized the need for fair treatment and adequate funding for the education sector, warning that the situation could worsen if the courts fail to uphold justice. Eze questioned the government’s commitment to addressing the fundamental issues that led to the strike and urged a more inclusive approach to governance.