After a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige made this announcement.
Ngige, who referred to 2022 as a "year of strikes," remarked that ASUU members were responsible for the "no work, no pay" policy enforced during their strike.
Recall that ASUU and the Federal Government engaged in a show of superiority after the apex university union suspended its eight-month strike but failed to receive its full month's salary.
Ngige bemoaned the scenario, stating that the government had to deal with industrial disputes from multiple unions in the public sector, whereas the private sector was largely tranquil for the entire year.
The Minister of Labour also alluded to the fact that the government was hampered by financing issues, while noting that preparations are in place to increase the pay of academic personnel.
The minister stated, "ASUU has not made any further statements regarding their salary because the National Industrial Court has been tasked with determining whether a worker who is on strike should be paid in violation of Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, which states that when you go on strike, the following consequences apply:
"Number one, you will not be paid; you will not be compensated for not going to work so that your boss can keep the industry or enterprise alive." That amount of money should not be handed to you, and you should not receive reimbursement. There it is in Section 43 (1). There is a second component to Section 43, which states that the time you spent on strike will not be included in your pensionable service time.
This issue has not been addressed by the government, but the strike has triggered the no-work, no-pay provision. Thus, we are requesting that the court examine it. Therefore, neither the executive (that would be us) nor the judiciary has authority over this topic. ASUU has also presented a defence in court, arguing, "Yes, we went on strike, but we did so for a good purpose." The matter is now in the hands of the court.
Ngige, commenting on his journey to the presidential palace, stated that he was there to brief Mr. President on the labour market for 2022.
"It has been a year of industrial dispute, beginning with the Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU) strike in February, which was joined by other sister unions in the university system and even the people in the research institutes, and subsequently pressed by various unions, including the Medical Doctors Association and the youth wing of the National Association of Resident Doctors.
"JOHESU, the Joint Health Sector Union, demanded a pay raise, which is also understandable given the effects of inflation on the economy and the cost of living for public sector employees.
"In the private sector, employers have better managed their affairs, possibly because they have control over their finances and administration and can easily engage in collective bargaining with their workers." The banking industry, the food and beverage industry, the financial industry, and the insurance industry are all tranquil. "We lacked the requisite tranquilly on the government's side due to the government's finances," Ngige told State House reporters.
