Half Salary: Ngige Says Decision To Pay ASUU Salary Backlog Lies With Industrial Court

The Federal Government‘s decision to pay half of October salaries and refusal to pay the seven-month backlog salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) last week has faced several reactions from different quarters.

Naija News reports that the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige has said the decision to pay the eight months salary backlog of university lecturers under the aegis of ASUU remains only with the National Industrial Court (NIC).

According to him, it is only the NIC that can guide the Federal Government on what to do with the withheld eight-month salaries of lecturers.

The minister, who spoke in Abuja yesterday, said the government still awaits NIC decision’s on whether or not to pay the arrears to members of ASUU.

Ngige, who disclosed he hasn’t met with the ASUU leaders since was referred to the NIC, noted that “The matter is in court. We are waiting for the court to call us back. It is part of the substantive issues remitted to the court for pronouncement; whether they can be paid that (eight months withheld salary arrears) or not.

“The court has not called us. It is when the court calls us and we appear that the issue of out-of-court settlement or alternative dispute resolution will arise.

“Only the court can direct resumption of negotiation with the leadership of ASUU,” he added.

He advanced that it was only the NIC that can direct him to resume negotiation with the union, noting that outside that nothing can be done.

The minister also revealed that ASUU dragged his ministry, him, and the Registrar of Trade Unions before the NIC over the registration of the Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), and moves to withdraw the registration certificate issued the union for failing to submit its audited accounts since 2013.

He said “I have not met with the leadership of the union. It is the court that will direct me to go back and resume negotiation with the union. That is why I told the Speaker of the House of Representatives that I cannot come there to any negotiation at the National Assembly.

“It will be a neglect of the court ruling. Our people have filed all the issues and we are waiting. Two matters are in court: the registration of CONUA and NAMDA. They took me to court. We have also filed our defence and counterclaim.

“The other matter before the court is the non-rendition of ASUU’s audited account from 2013 to date. The Registrar of Trade Unions wrote them in 2020 and they didn’t render any account that 2020.

“I wrote to them (ASUU) in 2022 and asked them to show cause why a proof of Section 15 of the Trade Union Act should not merit them the withdrawal of their certificate or cancellation of their certificate of registration as a trade union.

“ASUU ran to court and asked the court to restraint the Registrar of Trade Unions and Minister of Labour and Employment from ever doing that (withdrawing their certificate of registration).”