The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared full solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its two-week warning strike, describing the action as a justified response to government negligence.
Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the union is concerned over the “persistent crisis in Nigeria’s public education system, marked by chronic underfunding and a failure to honour agreements.”
The NLC president, in a statement on Monday, said the federal government’s refusal to implement collectively bargained agreements with university lecturers and workers is “undermining public tertiary institution.”
“The commencement of a two-week warning strike by ASUU is a direct consequence of the Federal Government’s refusal to honour collectively bargained agreements,” the statement reads in part.
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The labour body said the government has chosen to threaten lecturers with the policy of “no work, no pay” instead of engaging in dialogue to resolve the crisis.
“This misrepresents the situation. The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars,” the statement added.
It further stated that the “lecturers are willing to work, but the government, by reneging on its commitments, has made it impossible for them to do so with the dignity and conditions their profession deserves.”
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The congress stressed that the issue goes beyond an industrial dispute, describing it as a “broader societal issue” that exposes deep inequalities in Nigeria’s education system.
“While the children of the elite attend private institutions or study abroad, the children of the working class and the poor are left in a public education system being systematically weakened,” the statement said.
It noted that the government’s actions were widening the educational divide and “reserving quality education as a commodity for the privileged few.”
“The struggle of ASUU is our struggle. The fight for public education is a fight for Nigeria’s future,” Ajaero declared.
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NLC called on the government to “immediately set aside its threats and address the core issues in the negotiated agreements with ASUU.”
It warned that if, after the two-week warning strike, the government remained unresponsive, “the NLC will not stand idly by.”.
The congress said it plans to convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates in the tertiary education sector to “develop a comprehensive strategy for engaging the government.”
Ajaero urged the government to fulfil its agreements and rescue the public education system, warning that failure to do so would provoke a firm and united response from the Nigerian workforce.
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