Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and ASUU Chairman Emmanuel Osodeke
Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and ASUU Chairman Emmanuel Osodeke
The federal government has condemned the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as illegal, appealing to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to advise the union to abide by the provisions of the Trade Disputes Act and call off its ongoing strike.
“The university teachers are registered under the Academic Staff Union of Universities and affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress, but that affiliation is only in name. It is not in deed because they don’t obey the Labour Act concerning conciliation,” argued the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
He explained: “For example, ASUU declared a month strike and called it a warning strike. It did not notify their employer, the Ministry of Education, nor did they notify me, the minister of labour, that there is a breakdown in negotiation.”
Mr Ngige stated this on Monday at the opening ceremony of the 2022 edition of the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) in Lagos.
The labour minister disclosed this in a statement signed by the ministry’s spokesman Charles Akpan.
“I’m using this opportunity to plead with the NLC to which ASUU is affiliated, to call them to order, make them obey the law, to let them know what the Trade Disputes Act says,” the minister stressed. ”As university teachers who are even teaching industrial law, to abide by the law. They should call off that strike. That strike is not appropriately instituted.”
He added, “I have conciliated and made sure the issues in disputes have been decisively been dealt with.”
Mr Ngige also urged the council to discuss, as part of its agenda, a workable recipe that appropriately conciliates disputes with associations not properly registered as trade unions to ensure that they fully abide by the provisions of the law.
“What will be the relationship with workers organisations that are not properly registered as trade unions? The labour act is there, and it says the minister can discuss with them. But they do not fully conform with legal provisions,” Mr Ngige pointed out.
According to him, the Trade Disputes Act permits a labour minister to apprehend and deal with “these workers” not registered as a union.
“This is because they do not fully understand the nuisances or obey the labour laws as it should be. If you are a union, you give adequate notice before proceeding on strike,” he explained further. “If you are a union too and your strike is apprehended, you go back to your work while the necessary adjustment is made to give you justice.”
The minister noted that some associations in the health and education sectors, including the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), were not properly unionised.