Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to direct public universities to pay members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) their full salaries.
Some members of the union which recently called off their eight-month strike had complained of getting half salaries for October 2022. The Federal Government had defended the move, insisting that the varsity teachers cannot be paid for not working.
“They were paid in pro-rata to the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action,” the Ministry of Labour and Employment said. “Pro-rata was done because you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied.”
But in a statement on Sunday, Falana, said the ‘no work, no pay’ policy does not apply to ASUU members.
“The position of the Federal Government is factually faulty and legally misleading. Since the industrial action was called off the public universities have adjusted their calendars to ensure that the 2021/2022 academic session is not cancelled. Consequently, students are currently taking lectures or writing examinations that were disrupted during the strike of the ASUU. Therefore, having regard to the facts and circumstances of the ASUU strike the doctrine of ‘no work, no pay’ is totally inapplicable as students who were not taught during the strike are currently attending lectures and writing examinations,” he said.
