The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has fallen out with the Academic Staff Union of Universities , ASUU over the ‘no work, no pay’ policy of the Nigerian government against the striking union.
COPSUN had blamed ASUU for not suspending the ongoing strike, saying the strike option is obsolete.
In a communique issued at the end of its quarterly meeting on Wednesday , the Pro Chancellors said that lecturers that abandoned classes for almost an academic session are clamouring for salaries they did not work for, and called on the Federal Government to be courageous to enforce the extant rule on “no work no pay” as failure to apply rules in the past led to impunity in the society.
Responding to the statement, ASUU referred to COPSUN’s position as a double-speak and accused it of mischief.
In a statement by the convener of ASUU’s Rapid Response Team, Professor Ade Adejumo, the union said the responsibilities of the academic is way beyond teaching, noting other major activities including research and community service.
The union stated that the two other
responsibilities never stopped even as the strike lingers.
Prof Adejumo said that it is very worrisome that COPSUN has condemnably reduced the work of a lecturer to that of teaching resulting to its position that academics on strike don’t deserve to be paid
ASUU added that it is illogical for COPSUN, which it claimed has several times opposed ASUU’s struggle to align with it in kicking against proliferation of universities by state governments, to turn around to condemn the same conduct of the government.
The Union also faulted COPSUN for blaming ASUU for the prolonged strike and elongated academic calendars in Nigerian universities, saying the government’s failure to fund the universities and uphold the agreements it had signed freely with the union has been the major driver of the strikes.
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