The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has frowned upon the threat by the Federal Government to invoke the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
The NLC declared that such intimidation would not resolve the crisis in the nation’s public tertiary institutions, urging the Federal Government to save public education or face the wrath of the workers.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made the declaration in a press statement on Monday while reacting to the warning strike embarked upon by the union.
Ajaero noted that the lecturers’ action was a legitimate response to the government’s persistent failure to honour agreements voluntarily reached with the union.
“The NLC is deeply concerned by the persistent crisis in Nigeria’s public education system, marked by chronic underfunding and the government’s failure to honour agreements reached with university lecturers and workers. This continued refusal to implement voluntarily signed agreements is undermining public tertiary institutions and eroding confidence in the system.
“The commencement of the two-week warning strike by the ASUU is a direct consequence of the Federal Government’s failure to honour these collectively bargained agreements. The strike is not an act of defiance but a legitimate response to years of neglect and unfulfilled promises.
“Rather than engaging in good faith to resolve the crisis, the government has resorted to the unproductive threat of ‘No Work, No Pay.’ This narrative is misleading.
“The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars. Lecturers are willing to work, but the government’s consistent failure to meet its obligations has made it impossible for them to do so with the dignity and conditions their profession deserves. The principle remains clear: No Pay, No Work.
“This struggle transcends an ordinary industrial dispute. It highlights a broader societal injustice — a deliberate weakening of the public education system while the children of the elite attend private institutions at home and abroad.
“The children of workers and the poor are left with an underfunded, demoralised system, perpetuating inequality and limiting social mobility. Quality education must not be a privilege for a few but a right for all.
“In light of this, the Nigeria Labour Congress declares its total solidarity with ASUU and all other unions in the tertiary education sector,” the statement read.
