President Bola Tinubu has approved the release of four months’ withheld salary to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following their eight month-long strike in 2022.
The federal government had consequently imposed its “no work, no pay” order, which denied the university teachers their salary.
But according to a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), Ajuri Ngelale, in “invoking the Principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy,” the President has approved the partial waiver of the order.
It said the action was to mitigate the effect of the ongoing economic reforms in the country and in recognition of the faithful implementation of the agreement reached between the federal government and the union.
The statement recalled that the “No Work, No Pay” Order that was instituted against striking members of the ASUU following the commencement of their eight-month industrial action which began on February 14, 2022 and was terminated on October 17, 2022.
The statement added: “In view of his determination to mitigate the difficulties being felt during the implementation of key economic reforms in the country, as well as his recognition of the faithful implementation of terms which were agreed upon during the fruitful deliberations between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the grant of an exceptional last waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ Order on ASUU, which will allow for the previously striking members of ASUU to receive four (4) months of salary accruals out of the eight months of salary which was withheld during the eight-month industrial action undertaken by the union.
“The President has directed the grant of the waiver with a mandatory requirement that the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment must secure a Document of Understanding (DoU) establishing that this exceptional waiver granted by the President will be the last one to be granted to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and all other Education Sector Unions.”
Similarly, the president has granted what he insisted is the last waiver of the “no work, no pay” on resident doctors following the implementation of the agreement reached with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) over their recent strike.
The doctors had called off their about two weeks strike on August 12 this year after negotiations with the federal government.
They had embarked on the action to press home their demands including the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and payment of all salary arrears owed its members since 2015.
They also wanted the immediate massive recruitment of clinical staff in the hospitals and abolishment of the bureaucratic limitations to the immediate replacement of doctors and nurses who leave the system as well as the immediate review of hazard allowance by all the state governments and private tertiary health institutions with residency training for doctors.
The “no work, no pay” order was instituted against striking members of NARD on August 1, 2023, following the commencement of their industrial action which began on July 26, 2023.
A separate statement issued by Ngelale, cited the same invocation of the Principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy by the President in approving the waiver.
The statement recalled that after several constructive engagements between the federal government and NARD, the Resident Doctors called off their strike on August 12, 2023.
It also affirmed that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation was directed to withhold all salaries accrued by striking NARD members during the 17 days of their strike action.
It added: “In view of the faithful implementation of terms which were agreed upon during the fruitful deliberations between the Resident Doctors and the Federal Government of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the grant of an exceptional last waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” Order on Resident Doctors, which will allow for the members of the NARD to receive the salaries which were previously withheld during the 17-day strike action.
“The President has directed the grant of the waiver with a mandatory requirement that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment must secure a Document of Understanding (DoU) establishing that this exceptional waiver granted by the President will be the last one to be granted to the National Association of Resident Doctors and all other Health Sector Unions.”
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