The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for several months, with the union receiving salaries or accumulated salaries after calling off the strike. This has led to criticism that the union has made industrial action a pastime. According to Prof Mahmood Yakubu, in 2009, there is so much money lying in the ETF (now TETFUND) that a lot of beneficiaries are not able to access in billions.
The Federal Government has been criticized for pandering to the whims and caprices of ASUU. The union has held the entire country to ransom every now and then, with some strikes lasting several months. The government has been accused of obtaining agreements under threats of strike and during actual strikes and insisting that the government must honor such agreements.
Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act provides that workers who take part in a strike shall not be entitled to any wages or other remuneration for the period of the strike. However, ASUU has consistently asked for salaries for the period of industrial action, in contravention of the provision of the law.
In other countries, when a labor union embarks on a strike, it is the union that pays the salaries of their members, not the employers. ASUU has overplayed its hand and has lost public confidence. Parents want their wards to complete their education within a stipulated time, despite understanding the challenges confronting the education sector.
The quality of education in Nigerian universities has been questioned, with some graduates unable to perform basic tasks in their fields. For instance, some engineering graduates cannot read measurements on a vernier caliper or micrometer screw gauge. This has led to questions about whether the problem is with infrastructure or lecturers themselves.
There have been numerous cases of lecturers wielding enormous power over their students, making one wonder whether Nigerian varsities have not become fiefdoms. The statistics of ASUU strikes are mind-boggling, with only one consecutive two years in nearly 30 years that ASUU did not go on strike.
A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Isaq Adewole, warned the federal government against paying lecturers for the nine months that they did not work, saying that it would encourage more strikes in the future. The issue of ASUU strikes and payment of salaries during strikes remains a contentious one.
Key points
- The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on numerous strikes over the years, with some lasting several months.
- The union has consistently asked for salaries for the period of industrial action, in contravention of Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act.
- The issue of ASUU strikes and payment of salaries during strikes remains a contentious one.
