The Federal Government has insisted that the Academic Staff Union of the Nigerian University, ASUU were paid based on the number of days they worked during the month of October. Vigil360reported that on Thursday, ASUU cried out that they were only paid half salaries for the month of October as against their condition for calling off the 8th-month industrial action. Reacting to the matter, the federal government dismissed the allegation that a selective payment was made to some of the lecturers, saying, ASUU was being economical with the truth.
Speaking on behalf of the federal government, Olajide Oshundun, head of the public Relation, at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment disclosed that ASUU members were paid salary pro-rata for the month of October but not half salary.
Explaining the meaning, he said, pro-rata means the union were paid according to the number of days they worked for as the Federal government cannot pay for what was not worked for.
He added, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige did not direct the Accountant General office to short-pay the ASUU members as is being widely speculated.
According to him, “Following the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), asking ASUU to go back to work, the leadership of the union wrote to the Minister, informing him that they have suspended the strike,”
“The Federal Ministry of Education wrote to Ngige in a similar vein and our labour inspectors in various states also confirmed that they have resumed work.
“So, the minister wrote to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, directing that their salaries should be restored.
Therefore, “They were paid pro-rata according to the number of days they worked in October,” he added.
Oshundun explained that counting from the day the union suspended its industrial action, pro-rata was done because “you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied.”
He also dismissed a statement by Muhammad Al-Mustapha, chairperson of ASUU, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) branch, that Ngige was biased in the payment of salaries to selected professional members of the union.
Oshundun disclosed that “Those obviously being referred to by the UDUS ASUU chairperson are members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association (MDCAN) who abstained from the eight-month strike of ASUU,”
He added that these are categories of lecturers that refused to join ASUU in their strike and choose to continue their work of producing more doctors for the country.
“Mustapha said he received information that a segment of the staff in the College of Health Sciences (CHS) has been paid seven months of their withheld salaries from March to September.
“He added that this was due to a letter written to the Minister of Finance, instructing the exemption of the listed staff on the application of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule.”
He insisted that the medical lectures were not part of the eight-month strike ASUU embarked upon.
