NASU urges the federal government to respect labour agreements and stop using the “No Work, No Pay” policy to intimidate university workers

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has called on the federal government to stop threatening university-based unions with the “No Work, No Pay” policy and instead honour existing labour agreements.

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In a statement titled “Recurring Threats by Government Officials to Enforce the ‘No Work, No Pay’ Policy: A Call for Justice, Collective Bargaining, and Dignity of Labour,” NASU’s General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, criticised what he described as the government’s use of labour laws as tools of intimidation rather than instruments of peace.

Adeyemi said strikes were lawful last resorts triggered by government’s failure to meet its obligations to workers.

“Union leaders are not anarchists or agitators for chaos. Strikes are often the inevitable response to the government’s dereliction of duty and failure to uphold the sanctity of labour laws,” he said.

While acknowledging that the Trade Disputes Act permits suspension of pay during strikes, Adeyemi stressed that the same law also mandates mediation and arbitration — steps he said the government routinely ignores.

He accused the government of double standards, stating,

“The selective enforcement of ‘No Work, No Pay’ while ignoring ‘No Pay, No Work’ is hypocritical, unjust, and contrary to the principles of equity upon which industrial relations are built.”

The NASU chief added that Section 15 of the Labour Act requires prompt payment of wages, meaning withholding salaries violates the same law officials claim to enforce.

Citing International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, both ratified by Nigeria, Adeyemi said the right to strike is globally recognised, and penalising unions for lawful actions breaches international standards.

“It is hypocrisy for the government to provoke strikes through broken promises and later punish the victims of its own failure,” he said.

He urged the government to institutionalise collective bargaining and strengthen dialogue mechanisms to ensure lasting industrial harmony.

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“Lasting peace in the public sector can only come through dialogue, trust, and respect for both national and international labour standards,” Adeyemi concluded.