The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted the payment of half salary for October, describing it as an attempt to reduce lecturers to casual workers.

ASUU said this via a statement issued on Tuesday by its National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, after the emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja.

Osodeke said the union deliberated on developments since the suspension of the strike and NEC noted with dismay that paying lecturers on “pro-rata” basis, like casual workers, was unprecedented in the history of university-oriented labour relations.

“Payment for 18 days as the October 2022 salaries of academics is unacceptable thereby portraying us as daily paid workers.

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“This is not only an aberration, but a contravention of all known rules of engagement in any contract of employment for academics the world over,” he said.

Osodeke stated that at ASUU’s NEC emergency meeting held on Monday, the union deliberated on developments since the suspension of the strike.

He said the response of the Federal Government towards ASUU’s demonstration of trust after the suspension of its strike on October 14 was “pro-rata” payment for 18 days as the October 2022 salaries of the lecturers, adding that the action of the government portrayed them as daily paid workers.

It would be recalled that Federal Government, in a statement issued on Saturday by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, said it did not pay ASUU members half salaries in October

Oshundun noted that the lecturers were paid their October salary pro-rata, and not half, saying pro-rata was done because they cannot be paid for work not done.

The Star