The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has expressed readiness to sue the federal government, especially the Ministry of Labour and Employment, over the non-payment of its members’ salaries.
CONUA in a statement jointly signed by its national president, secretary, and publicity secretary, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, Dr. Henry Oripeloye, and Dr. Ernest Nwoke, Tuesday berated the FG to combine CONUA with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The statement reads in part: “Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has expressed its disappointment with the federal government, especially the Ministry of Labour and Employment, over the non-payment of its members’ withheld salaries even when the government knew that the union did not call for strike action and its members were not involved in the strike action that lasted for eight months which shut down the university system nationwide.
“CONUA formally made its non-involvement in the strike known to the federal government in a letter addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment in April 2022. In the letter, we made it clear that because CONUA constituted a separate and independent union in the university system, our members did not call for any strike.
“This was followed by a press conference in Abuja on August 19, 2022 at which it was categorically stated that CONUA was not part of any ongoing strike, and that the “No Work No Pay” principle ought not to apply to members of the union.
“CONUA’s expectation is that, due to the express and categorical declaration, the government would seamlessly release our members’ outstanding salaries when it resumed the payment of salaries to all University Staff in October 2022. But to our dismay, CONUA members were also paid pro-rata salaries in complete disregard to the fact that we were indeed shut out of duties by the strike.”
