Court upholds ‘no work no pay’ rule against ASUU, says FG has right to withhold salaries

In a petition filed against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the National Industrial Court maintained the Federal Government’s no work, no pay policy.

In what appears to be a blow for university professors who had their paychecks withheld during the strike, the court ruled that the no work, no pay provision imposed by the Federal Government on ASUU members last year is fully legitimate.

In a judgment delivered by the President of the Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, the court held that it is within the right of the Federal Government to withhold salaries of workers who embark on industrial action.

The court however held that it is a violation of University Autonomy for the Federal Government to impose the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform on members of ASUU who reserve the right to determine how their salaries should be paid.

On February 14, 2022, ASUU members went on strike to put their demands on the federal government.

Some of the lecturers’ demands include funding for the revitalization of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, and the use of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a preferred payment method rather than the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). Other requests include the payment of promotion arrears and the reworking of the ASUU-FGN Agreement from 2009.

Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, had led ASUU to the National Industrial Court, seeking a court order to prevent striking lecturers from extending their strike.