The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has faulted what it described as the federal government’s recurring threats to invoke the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking workers, describing it as unjust and contrary to labour laws.

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, accused government officials of using the provision in Section 42(1)(a) of the Trade Disputes Act as a weapon of intimidation rather than a tool for industrial peace.

According to him, strikes were not acts of rebellion, but a lawful last resort when government fails to honour agreements with workers.

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

Adeyemi noted that while the law provides that no wages be paid during a strike, other sections of the same Act outline procedures for mediation and arbitration, which government often ignores.

He cited Section 15 of the Labour Act mandating timely payment of wages, saying withholding salaries violates the same law officials seek to enforce.

He accused government of double standards, saying, “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 scribe also drew attention to international labour standards, noting that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) recognises the right to strike under Conventions 87 and 98, both ratified by Nigeria. He said punishing unions for lawful strikes violates those conventions.

While stating that Nigerian workers remain patriotic despite poor pay and difficult working conditions, Adeyemi said “It is hypocrisy for government to provoke strikes through broken promises and later punish the victims of its own failure.”

He urged the government to institutionalise collective bargaining in the public sector and respect agreements reached with unions, even as he noted that lasting industrial peace could only be achieved through dialogue, trust, and adherence to both national and international labour standards.