ASUU STRIKE: FG withdraws ‘no work no pay’ threat ‘No work no pay’ policy not applicable to ASUU — FalanaBy Dayo Adesulu & Johnbosco AgbakwuruABUJA

ASUU STRIKE: FG withdraws ‘no work no pay’ threat
‘No work no pay’ policy not applicable to ASUU — FalanaBy Dayo Adesulu & Johnbosco AgbakwuruABUJA
—THE Federal Government has withdrawn the recent threat to activate the ‘no work no pay policy’ against striking university teachers.ASUUNo work, no pay policy: Labour threatens to report FG to ILOThis was disclosed by the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in an exclusive chat withVanguardyesterday.Ogunyemi also said that the negotiation meeting between ASUU and the Federal Government would continue tomorrow, stressing that what the union was doing was to rescue the education sector from imminent collapse and to ensure that the children of the poor get access to quality and affordable education.The ASUU boss also said that last Friday’s meeting between the two parties did not yield much results.He said:   “Well, we have confirmed that they have withdrawn that threat (no work no pay). So it appears the threat is not there for now. But even if the threat is there, we are prepared for that because for our members, no sacrifice is too muchto salvage Nigeria’s education.“Shortly before our action while the NLC (Nigeria Labour Congress) hullabaloo was going on with federal government, they went to the Federal Executive Council that they were activating that rule.”Meanwile, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN said yesterday: ”Although the Federal Government referred to “extant rules” to justify the ‘no work, no pay’ policy the directive is anchored on section 43 (1) of the Trade Disputes Act which provides that “any worker who takes part in a strike shall not be entitled to any wages or other remuneration for the period of the strike…”. In resorting to the desperate measure the Federal Government was not properly advised. Otherwise, it would have realized that even under the defunct military junta the application of ‘no work no pay' threat