The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said it would skip backlog of academic sessions which was halted by their eight-month strike, if the federal government insists on the no work no pay rule.

ASUU members, mainly of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) Chapter, Rivers state, held a special congress and protest rally on Monday.

They argued that the policy does not apply to them because they have picked up from where they down tools seven months ago and currently clearing the backlogs of work, combining two sessions.

Why we protested
Chairman, ASUU, Uniport, Dr. Uzoma Chima, said, “Today’s special congress and protest rally is to express our dissatisfaction with recent attempt by federal government of Nigeria to reduce university lecturers to daily pay casual workers.

“Because we know that there is nowhere in the world where university lecturers are treated as casual workers. So, today we invited parents, and students to let them know the state of things since after the suspension of our strike.

“Since we suspended the strike following the National Industrial Court order, we have come back to resume our duties and currently doing the backlogs of work we should have done during the strike. As a union of intellectuals, our job makes the no work, no pay policy not applicable to us.

Research during the strike
“Because during the strike we were doing research. It was only teaching we were not doing. We were doing research and members engaged in community services. The teaching that was not done, we are doing already. We are clearing the backlog of work.

“So, today, we called parents and students to carry the issue to the public. Let them not see it as a fight for only ASUU because we know and it is so clear now that the ruling class wants to decimate the public universities. And of course, as the eggheads of the nation, we will not allow that to happen.”

“What we are going to do if the FG refuses to listen to us is so simple. If government continues to say they will not pay us, we will abandon the work to do for those sessions and that will mean outright cancelation of those sessions.

“We will now wait for admission to be done for the 2022/2023 session so that we will continue from there.”

What that means is that the old students in the university will have to lose those sessions, that is the implication.”

Some of the inscriptions on their protest placards read, “No to Pro Rata Salary Payment, “Lecturers are not casual workers” and “FG, stop maltreatment of lecturers”.

ASUU has reduced themselves to nothing. We told them to accept government offer and returned back to class after three months of strike but many people insulted us. See them today ranting everywhere.

After thought