NANS backs FG’s ‘no work no pay’ stance against ASUU

The National Association of Nigerian Students has described as “depraved, egocentric, and insensitive,” the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU)’s demand for fee of the six months wage arrears for the interval its members had been on strike.

The union has included the demand as a part of its situations for calling off the strike which they embarked upon over six months in the past.

The Federal Authorities had earlier restated its place of a ‘no work no pay’ insisting that ASUU had no purpose to demand pay the interval it stayed out of labor.

NANS mentioned on Thursday that ASUU’s need to get the funds for its members portrayed the union as pursuing a slender curiosity of members below the quilt of combating to revamp the schooling sector.

The president of NANS, Sunday Asefon, in an announcement made out there to journalists in Ado- Ekiti, mentioned NANS had because the graduation of the strike advocated in favour of ASUU however mentioned the present demand by hanging lecturers was not solely disappointing and frivolous however represented the pursuit of slender curiosity.

The NANS chief counselled the lecturers towards performing like employers even when they’re workers, saying it flies within the face of regulation to be demanding fee for providers they didn’t render.

“Nevertheless, we condemn in totality, the insistence of ASUU on the fee of a six-month arrears wage for the complete interval of the strike earlier than they will name off the strike,” he mentioned.

“This demand just isn’t solely insensitive; it’s also egocentric, thoughtless, and uncharitable.

“The six months are durations of no work. As a lot as we encourage the federal government to pay their arrears irrespective, it’s unfair to base the resumption of educational actions on full fee of the arrears.

“We now have additionally, sadly, seen that because the starting of the strike, ASUU had refused to place the scholars who’re the foremost losers into consideration in any way. They’ve hidden from us the foremost areas of rivalry. Each different stakeholder, besides ASUU, has met with us instantly to debate the problems.

“ASUU had masqueraded a few of their pursuits because the curiosity of tertiary schooling in Nigeria, and in some unspecified time in the future masqueraded their curiosity because the curiosity of the scholars. We all know that ASUU is much less involved in regards to the curiosity of the scholars due to our experiences with them at our numerous tertiary establishments.

“College authorities have used ASUU members and leaders to expel, droop and rusticate college students for merely protesting for improved welfare. They expel and rusticate college students for protesting for primary wants equivalent to water, energy, liveable hostel lodging, and so on.

“ASUU members arbitrarily failed college students for questioning their positions or opinions and typically for asking too many questions. These identical folks can’t abruptly flip round to assert they’re combating for our curiosity, our curiosity they trample upon at each given alternative at our numerous tertiary establishments.

“We consider that if the federal government has met considerably main areas of their demand, ASUU ought to tread the trail of honour by calling off the strike. We now not consider that this steady strike is trendy, cheap, justifiable, and essential.”

READ ALSO: Strike: No work, no pay policy can’t break us, ASUU tells government

The NANS chief added that demanding six-month wage arrears earlier than calling off the strike was akin to “kidnappers demand their ransom earlier than releasing their victims.”

The Federal Authorities had mentioned the calls for by the union to be paid salaries for the six-month strike interval had been stalling its negotiations with it.

It mentioned the union wouldn’t be paid for the interval of the strike.

The president of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, had lamented the non-payment of salaries to its members within the final six months.

He additionally accused the federal authorities of utilizing starvation as a software to drive the hanging lecturers to return to lecture rooms.

Mr Osodeke, nevertheless, mentioned the present administration couldn’t use the drive of starvation to drag the hanging union members again.