NASU: Economic Hardship Affecting Worker’s Productivity, Dignity

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja           

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), has said that Nigerian workers’ productivity, dignity, and wellbeing have been weakened by years of neglect, poor governance, and economic hardship.

It said that essential goods and services, including housing, transportation, and healthcare have become increasingly unaffordable, leaving many families struggling to survive.

Speaking at the National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of NASU held in Abuja on Wednesday, the national president of the Union, Comrade Dr. Makolo Hassan said governments should implement a Minimum Wage policy that can be adjusted periodically in line with inflation and cost-of-living indices.

In addition, he said that frequent policy inconsistency by government is undermining economic stability, discouraging investment, and eroding jobs security.

Hassan lamented that many trade unions across the country have been forced to suspend their regular meetings due to severe economic pressures and escalating operational costs.

He said that federal government is under obligation to enforce laws that guarantee prompt payment of salaries and sanction employers, including state governments, that violate this obligation.

 Hassan said: “Despite these challenges, we have chosen to uphold our constitutional duty by coming together today. Our decision reflects not only our dedication to the principles that guide our Union but also our firm belief in the power of dialogue, the strength of solidarity, and the necessity of strategic action in overcoming adversity.

“Comrades, the condition of the Nigerian worker today reflects the broader condition of our nation. Our productivity, dignity, and wellbeing have been weakened by years of neglect, poor governance, and economic hardship.

“Yet, we remain resilient, because the spirit of the Nigerian worker is one of endurance, commitment, and hope”.

NASU president said that workers’ wages no longer reflect the realities of today’s economy, adding that inflation has wiped out the value of salaries, leaving many workers unable to meet basic needs.

He said the situation has been worse for workers of some states who continue to receive “amputated salaries”.

“Governments must implement a living wage policy not just Minimum Wage. A living wage that must adjust periodically to inflation and cost-of-living indices, ensuring that workers can live with dignity,” he said.

While defending union’s demand for increased funding in the education sector, Hassan said the fight is not merely about improving the welfare and working conditions of education workers, but that of safeguarding the future of our nation.

He argued that adequate funding is essential to revitalizing infrastructure, improving welfare of workers in the sector, and ensuring that the children of workers and indeed all members of society can access quality education.

He said that the major challenge confronting NASU in the Basic Education Sector is the inclusion of Non-Teaching Professionals and Support Staff in the Basic Education sector in the Federal Government’s Teachers’ Act 2022, an Act that is currently being domesticated by some, but not all, state governments.

According to him, majority of the states in the country are yet to adopt this policy even for teachers, thus raising serious concerns about how best to advocate recognition and inclusion of our members in this crucial sector.

On the issue negotiations with federal government, Hassan said that talks are currently ongoing regarding the union’s demands for fair and equitable conditions of service.

“I am pleased to report, however, that renegotiations for members in the Universities and Inter-University Centres have recently commenced, marking an important step forward in our struggle for fair and equitable conditions of service, while awaiting commencement of the renegotiations of other tertiary institutions such as polytechnics, colleges of education as well as research and health sectors”.

NASU president also frowned at moves by some persons to register new trade unions to represent workers already covered by an existing Union within the same sector.

In addition, he said that some institutions, driven by the desire to weaken NASU’s influence and divide its membership, have resorted to the unethical and illegal practice of deducting check-off dues from employees and channeling such funds to unregistered associations.

In his remarks, the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, decried the recurring threat by government officials to invoke the provisions of Section 42(1) (a)of the Trade Disputes Act, popularly known as the “No Work, No Pay” policy.

“Let it be clearly stated that this threat is nothing but a deliberate attempt to intimidate, silence, and criminalize legitimate trade union actions.

“Union leaders are not irrational individuals who wake up one morning to declare strikes for sport. Strikes are not tea parties.

“They are painful, last-resort measures provoked by the consistent failures, neglect, and insincerity of government officials in honouring agreements freely entered into with Unions,” he said.