From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Congress of University Academics (CONUA), has explained that it did not declare strike and its members are entitled to the backlog of salary owed them.
The union maintained that the federal government will not be fair if the no work no pay is extended to CONUA who has never declare strike.
The new national president of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, stated this while speaking with newsmen at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, after the maiden National Executive Council (NEC), meeting held between January 20 to 22.
He appealed to the government to pay everybody, insisting that on principle, CONUA did not declare strike and the ‘no work no pay’ policy will be unjust to be applied on it.
According to the union, “CONUA has consistently maintained before now, that it didn’t declare any strike and by the provision of section 43 (1b) of the Trade Dispute Act, what happened to members of CONUA can be taken to be what happens in that provision of that section.
“It is a lock out for us. At certain times, students in the universities were asked to vacate the university premises by the management. To our mind, what the government is implementing is a ‘no work no pay’ policy. We believe we wanted to work, we didn’t declare strike, the students that we need to teach were asked to vacate campus.
“The only thing we can do at this stage is to appeal to the federal government to be magnanimous to pay everybody. But along the line of principle, CONUA did not declare strike and the ‘no work no pay’ policy will be unjust to be applied on it,” Sunmonu added.
The union in their communique frowned at banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and advised the government to reduce the out of school children and also ensure transparent, free, fair and credible elections in February and March.
A foundation member of CONUA at OAU, Prof Isa Yusuf, described as ‘false,’ the claim that the union was formed to serve as rival to ASUU, saying CONUA was formed in line with the doctrine of democracy.