Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu has ruled out any salary payment for striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, even when they eventually call off their strike.
He also said same action may be placed on other university unions such as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff Union of University and Allied Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), among others.
The Minister said government was bent on implementing and sustaining the “no work, no pay policy” to serve as a deterrent to the striking unions, who most times don’t blink an eye before embarking on industrial actions.
Adamu made the clarifications when he featured at the weekly media briefing coordinated by the Presidential Media Team on Thursday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he noted that students are at liberty to institute legal actions against the striking unions if they feel shortchanged academically.
Recall that the truce meeting called between the Education Minister and ASUU few days ago ended in deadlock owing to differences in some of the demands raised.
While ASUU had insisted that one of the conditions for suspending the over six months strike is for government to pay their emoluments for the six months period they have been out of classes, the Nimi Briggs-led committee on behalf of the federal government refused to concede to such demand.
Adamu said the Briggs committee is expected to meet with ASUU again on Friday, to state their current position.
As Adamu was explaining the government’s side to State House Correspondents, ASUU released a statement detailing what actually transpired during the recent truce meeting.
