The Nigeria Labour Congress has given the Federal Government four weeks to resolve issues with university unions.
President Joe Ajaero warned that workers may begin nationwide action if talks fail within the deadline.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given the Federal Government a four-week deadline to conclude all ongoing negotiations with unions in the tertiary education sector.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made this known during an interactive session with labour correspondents in Abuja following a meeting with leaders of unions in universities and other higher institutions.
Ajaero criticised the government’s “no work, no pay” policy against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as unfair. According to him, the policy would now be met with a “no pay, no work” response from workers.
“We have decided to give the federal government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector,” he said. “If after four weeks nothing happens, the NEC will meet to decide on a nationwide action involving all workers and unions in the country.”
He added that the era of signing agreements and threatening unions was over, stressing that most strikes in the country result from the government’s failure to honour agreements.
Nigeria’s public university system has faced persistent disruptions, with the latest strike by ASUU leading to another nationwide shutdown. The union’s president, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the industrial action after a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28 expired.
ASUU said the government had failed to address key issues such as unpaid salary arrears, staff welfare, infrastructure funding, and full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
Although Education Minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, recently said the government had released N50 billion for earned allowances and earmarked N150 billion in the 2025 budget for university needs, ASUU dismissed the measures as inadequate.
The union is demanding payment of withheld salaries, arrears of promotions, release of union deductions, and protection against victimization of its members.
The NLC said it would continue to stand with university workers and other unions until the ongoing issues are resolved. It appealed to the government to keep its promises, respect workers’ rights, and take genuine steps to restore stability in public universities across the country.
