The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to conclude ongoing negotiations with unions in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made this known on Monday during an interactive session with labour correspondents in Abuja. The session followed a meeting between the NLC leadership and representatives of tertiary institution-based unions held at the Congress headquarters.
Ajaero criticized the government’s no-work-no-pay policy, describing it as an unfair sanction against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for embarking on a nationwide strike.
“We have decided to give the Federal Government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. They have started talks with ASUU, but the problem goes beyond ASUU,” Ajaero said.
He warned that failure to meet the deadline would prompt the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) to convene and decide on nationwide industrial action involving all affiliated unions.
“The era of signing agreements, holding negotiations, and then threatening the unions involved has come to an end,” he stated. “The so-called policy of no work, no pay, will henceforth be no pay, no work. You can’t benefit from an action you instigated.”
Ajaero further accused the government of being responsible for most industrial actions in the country, noting that “90 percent of strikes in Nigeria are caused by the government’s failure to honour agreements.”
