The Federal government has reiterated its stance on the no-work-no-pay to the striking Academic Staff Union of the Nigerian Universities, ASUU, saying the Federal Government cannot be bullied into paying six months' salaries to ASUU after staying at home. The federal government insists that the policy is to serve as punishment to the academicians for grounding the educational institution in the country. The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu disclosed this while briefing a presidential communication team organized at the state House, Abuja.
The Minister disclosed that the action by the federal government is to deter others who may tear the same path instead of negotiation.
He revealed that though other unions of the striking staff have agreed to call off the strike after negotiation, however, ASUU insisted that they must be paid the salary arrears for their staying at home for five months while the industrial action was on.
The Minister laments that the federal Government after expending billions of Naira on education by this administration, both directly through TETFUND and UBEC, the ASUU insisted they must be given more.
He said the federal government has rejected the demand of ASUU to be paid the backlog of salaries accumulated while they were doing no work.
Accordingly, as it appears the Federal Government has insisted on rejecting to pay the salary arrears, ASUU is making some consultations amongst its members to see if they can end the industrial action.
He acknowledged that the Federal Government has agreed to consider the peculiarities of the University system to adopt its University Transparency Accountability Solution, UTAS instead of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll and Information System, IPPIS after undergoing an integrity test with NIITDA.
Meanwhile, IPPIS has been directed to accommodate the issue of Sabbatical being enjoyed by the academicians.
He said that the government had proposed a new salary to the unions, which he said the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University, SSANU; the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of
Academic Technologists, NAAT, have accepted in principle.
The Minister applauded the polytechnic Academic Staff Union for timely calling off its industrial action on time.