By The Taraba State Government has issued a formal reminder to the striking unions at Taraba State University, Jalingo, reiterating its decision to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy during the ongoing industrial action.
In a notice issued on Wednesday and addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the university and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch at the institution, the government cited provisions of the Trade Union Disputes Act, particularly Section 43, which states that employers, including government institutions, are not obligated to pay wages to workers who participate in strike actions.
The statement, signed by the Commissioner for Tertiary Institutions, Mike Dio, explained that the law clearly stipulates that employees who withdraw their services during a strike are not entitled to salaries for the period of the industrial action.
It further noted that the duration of the strike would not be counted as part of the workers’ pensionable service.
According to the government, the reminder became necessary following a series of negotiations and mediation efforts between the authorities and the striking unions which failed to produce an agreement that would lead to the resumption of academic activities.
“As negotiations and mediation have not yielded the desired outcome for the striking university unions to return to work, the government has no option but to invoke the relevant section of the Act,” the notice stated.
Despite its firm position, the government appealed to the unions to reconsider their stance and suspend the strike in the interest of students and the wider academic community.
Authorities emphasized that calling off the industrial action would help restore normal academic activities at the university and prevent further disruption to the academic calendar.
The government also assured the unions of its goodwill while urging their leadership to cooperate in resolving the dispute and reopening the institution for normal operations.
The ongoing strike, according to DAILY POST, has continued to disrupt academic programmes at Taraba State University, leaving many students uncertain about when lectures and other activities will resume.
