We Did Not Receive N100bn From Govt –ASUU
THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Abuja branch, has said contrary to the claim by the federal government, the union did not receive N100 billion from the federal government.
The union blamed the government for its ongoing strike, saying it frustrated all genuine efforts it had made to end the industrial action.
Reacting to the reports that the federal government has approved another N100 billion for the university unions as part of the 2009 agreement, Umaru said “all these being said in social media and newspapers are not true.”
“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.
Umaru,who said said the union has a structure on how it takes decisions, added that the National Executive Council,NEC, will meet at the end of the four weeks ultimatum to take its decision,on the lingering strike.
“As far as we are concerned, the federal government has not done anything to our various demands.
“Federal government should tell the Nigerian public what they have done. The two committees that were set up, the Nimi Briggs committee were set up, the Jubrin committee was set up and all these things had their recommendation before then.
“They were to signed that agreement and get it implemented but it is not an offer, it is just a mere statement we heard from government because the history has it that at each level it is collective bargaining but when you jettison collective bargaining and you are throwing a award to someone which we needed to sit down as established by law,”he further said.
Speaking on the no-work-no pay policy as stated by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, he said the ILO and the 1981 trade union Act was 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.
“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 there responsibility to pay us and if they said they are not paying 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 the strike continues,”he explained.
