The Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities- ASUU, University of Uyo branch, Dr. Happiness Uduk, speaks to this newspaper on the ongoing industrial strike in Nigerian public universities, harps on brain drain and no-work, no-pay policy and other issues during the strike.
Her story:
On no-work, no-pay policy: If you are following our trajectory, our story and analysis on ASUU, there doesn’t seem to be a time ASUU has been on strike that government has not used the hunger weapon, to stop salaries, calling ‘no-work, no- pay policy.’ But then, a person who engages in a battle will already count the cost before embarking on that battle. But, we knew that hunger strike will be the weapon government will use on us. We experimentally prepared for it. But, are we suffering? Yes, but we are moving on, knowing well that what is at the end of the tunnel is for the good of the entire Nigerian masses, especially children of the common people who actually want to have access to tertiary education.
On resumption of work: Well, the Appeal Court didn’t give us seven days. They gave us Friday October 13 to resume, and we know that in this country; government is number one defaulter when it comes to honouring agreement -whether it is from the Appeal Court or Supreme Court or any other lower court. So, if ASUU does not keep to the ruling, ASUU will not be the first to disobey court ruling. That aside, the idea of the court telling the union to go back to work before coming to appeal the matter: it’s like a man who has judgement passed on him for execution by a lower court, and then the Appeal Court tells the man to go and serve the penalty and hand over himself to be killed, and then his spirit will come and appeal for judgment.
That is the kind of scenario and the outcome of the Appeal Court. But, as I said, that is on one hand, our lawyers are handling the matter and they advise us on the best option, but the strike has come and gone and we are already in Tuesday. About the ‘no-work, no-pay’ clause, every union member knows that when you embark on strike, and you sign any document either government or an employer, there is always the non- victimization clause. And this is a clause at the end of the agreement or memorandum of understanding or memorandum of action. But for government to have played that one first, it is like placing the cart before the horse, because that clause usually comes last, and it would have been taken care of, if government had renegotiated with the union and reached an end.
If government still uses that clause of ‘no-work, no-pay’ what will the union do? Our national officers will direct us, as they deem appropriate. But, I will like to tell Nigerians that forcing a horse to the river is one thing, making it to drink is another which may transcend to some bad trajectory for the public tertiary institution because, I am sure, most people will not teach with the zest that they used to before now. Most people will not do their job with the level of commitment they used to prior to this time. So, when government takes some decisions, it should consider it before forcing it on people. So, whether we will teach, whether we will force it on salary, National will direct us.
But, a person of good conscience will know that the work of lecturers is not only about teaching, there are two other components that have continued even while teaching was suspended. When we get back to work, we are going to begin on a new slate, we will actually teach the backlog, if you had students to supervise, you won’t promote them to the next class, or ask them to go for NYSC, you have to go back to work we were supposed to do. So, if you are expected to go back to do what you were supposed to do, then government should pay us.
On registration of two parallel unions: Well, I don’t understand, but the university community is open to everyone. But concerning other unions, NLC has mentioned it and written officially to the Minister of Labour copied DSS and other relevant bodies. What the Minister of Labour has done, on behalf of Federal Government, is setting a bad precedent in terms of going against the law. It took only a part of it which states that in any institution or organisation where there exists a union working for the people, you should not register any other union. It is contained in section 3(ii) of the Labour Law, and contained in the letter written by the Nigeria Labour Congress President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba. But then, our legal team is handling that matter as well because you can’t register two unions when there is one already formed to function in that institution. What is Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) going to do differently from ASUU or Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) going to do differently? It’s like Ngige has sworn to destroy the union.
Tragedies of the strike: What tragedy is greater than the strike of tertiary institution, or are you referring to death? As a matter of fact, death is a natural phenomenon which can come at any time and, as a matter of fact, we may not entirely attribute it to the strike. Some people could die because of natural cause, while some due to illness. But, we may say that the death of some of our members may have been as a result of no salary, which may have facilitated it. For instance, we lost former Chairman of SUBEB. She was our member; she died within the period of the strike. But would you attribute it to the strike? No, we could have had calamity, but it is not entirely caused by the strike.
But, I think the greatest calamity is that against the students who have lost a good academic time. The greatest calamity for me is that some people have left the country for greener pastures; so that, even when the strike is resolved, students would have lost great minds, who have left for greener pastures. Some students will lose their supervisors and for me this is calamity as well. But, we lost a lecturer in Fine and Industrial Arts, who died because he had an asthmatic attack.
Brain drain: We cannot really ascertain how many people left because they didn’t tender their resignation letters. But as I said, that is the greatest loss and calamity: a nation losing its best brains and hands because of unfavorable conditions they cannot bear. I am sure, no university can say, they have lost 20 or 30 lecturers to brain drain, because we don’t have a figure and for some who have left we can’t say exactly maybe when school resumes and we begin to take stock. But the truth is that generally, we have lost good hands – some have moved either to UK, Canada, USA or other African countries not because of natural causes but something government can handle and fix.
Advice to ASUU members and students: To our members, please don’t give up because a people united can never be defeated and the union makes us strong. We can only achieve much more if we are united, so we hold on, hold out until certain things are met by government. And to students too, it is still to hang on and hold on, because, in no distance time, I know this will pass and it will be over and we will return. Time may have been lost, yes, I agree, but some people will need to sacrifice for the benefit of others and for posterity. And I am sure posterity will hold us highly for laying the path that will allow public tertiary institution to flourish and to continue.
