The National Association of Nigerian Students has described as “wicked, selfish, and insensitive,” the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU)’s demand for payment of the six months salary arrears for the period its members were on strike.
The union has included the demand as part of its conditions for calling off the strike which they embarked upon over six months ago.
The Federal Government had earlier restated its position of a ‘no work no pay’ insisting that ASUU had no reason to demand pay the period it stayed out of work.
NANS said on Thursday that ASUU’s desire to get the payments for its members portrayed the union as pursuing a narrow interest of members under the cover of fighting to revamp the education sector.
The president of NANS, Sunday Asefon, in a statement made available to journalists in Ado- Ekiti, said NANS had since the commencement of the strike advocated in favour of ASUU but said the current demand by striking lecturers was not only disappointing and frivolous but represented the pursuit of narrow interest.
The NANS leader counselled the lecturers against acting like employers even when they are employees, saying it flies in the face of law to be demanding payment for services they didn’t render.
“However, we condemn in totality, the insistence of ASUU on the payment of a six-month arrears salary for the entire period of the strike before they can call off the strike,” he said.
“This demand is not only insensitive; it is also selfish, inconsiderate, and uncharitable.
“The six months are periods of no work. As much as we encourage the government to pay their arrears irrespective, it is unfair to base the resumption of academic activities on full payment of the arrears.
“We have also, unfortunately, noticed that since the beginning of the strike, ASUU had refused to put the students who are the major losers into consideration whatsoever. They have hidden from us the major areas of contention. Every other stakeholder, except ASUU, has met with us directly to discuss the issues.
“We believe that if the government has met substantially major areas of their demand, ASUU should tread the path of honour by calling off the strike. We no longer believe that this continuous strike is fashionable, reasonable, justifiable, and necessary.”
Credit: premiumtimesng.com
