*FG has no justification not to pay us- SSANU, NASU.
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities may be gearing up for another legal tussle with the Federal Government over their withheld eight months' salaries.
Counsel for ASUU, Femi Falana told The PUNCH on Monday, that the union will file a lawsuit against the federal government, if it carries out its plan to pay members of the parallel union, the Congress of Nigerian University Academics, CONUA.
Falana said, “We want them to pay the (CONUA) money. That is why we have not reacted.
“That (the payment) will form the legal basis for the government to now pay ASUU. We will now have the legal grounds to challenge them in a court of law. Through that, ASUU will be paid. They won’t have a choice. Let them go ahead.”
SSANU, NASU react.
Reacting to the development, the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions,(NASU )said the move by the government is unacceptable to them.
Speaking for both unions, SSANU National President, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed told The PUNCH, “The idea of separating some groups is not welcome. We are all working in the same place. The strike was a result of negotiations and renegotiations.
"No union should be held responsible for strike actions. We went on strike because the government failed to fulfill all agreements signed with them 12 years ago.
“The same law says workers are free to go on strike if they go through due process, so there is no justification for not paying our members. Our members are not happy about our four months’ salaries being withheld. It was forced on us.
"One of the legal ways to protest was to go on strike. We have told the government to passionately look at the situation in the country. We have had our members suffer and they found it difficult to pay school fees to meet some family demands.
“Withholding the money dealt serious blows to the members of the university community, especially SSANU. We will not support any disparity.
"Government should pay money to all workers of the University unions. The government has no justification to withhold our money they should do the needful, ” the SSANU president said.
In a memo to the President, of CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, the Director of Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Charles Wali indicated that the FG is set to pay members of CONUA their withheld salaries and allowances.
CONUA President had earlier said that members of his union did not participate in the ASUU strike action and should not have their salaries withheld.
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