The Federal Government has paid full salary to university lecturers for the work done in November unlike in October when the lecturers were paid half salary. Some of the lecturers have confirmed that they have started receiving their November salary in full.
In October, the lecturers were paid half salaries, which the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, explained was pro-rata payment for the days the lecturers worked after the strike was called off on October 14, 2022.
Investors King gathered that the Federal Government has not released the eight months’ salaries of the lecturers incurred during the protracted strike embarked upon by the academic union.
A senior lecturer who spoke with Tribune News said “I received my November salary today (Wednesday) and I know some of our colleagues did the same. We expected that it would come together with arrears, but that wasn’t the case”.
Meanwhile, University lecturers across branches have been protesting against the withholding of their eight months’ salary and the part payment paid to them for October.
Reacting to the development, ASSU National President, Professor Victor Emmanuel Osodeke noted that the government reneged on the agreement the union had with the ministry of labour.
Osodeke disclosed that the agreement which was supervised by the Speaker of the House of Representatives was that lecturers will be paid their eight-month arrears.
He, therefore, stated that the national body of the union will meet soon to determine their next line of action claiming that the government is trying to turn university lecturers into casual workers.
While speaking to the media at the State House, the Minister for Education, Malam Adamu Adamu rejected any insinuation that the government is trying to treat the university lecturers as casual staff.
“The strike has been called off and the government has paid what is due to them”
“How can anybody make a university lecturer a casual worker? Do you know the meaning of casual worker? If you know the meaning of casual worker, it is impossible to make a university lecturer a casual worker,” he said.