By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

THE Federal Government yesterday said that the two weeks warning strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, was illegal.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige stated this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Senator Ngige said that going by the International Labour Organization, ILO, Convention, ASUU was supposed to give notice to the government before embarking on strike.

“They didn’t give us the mandatory notice before they started the strike, so this strike is illegal. No employee is permitted to dictate to the employer, it is in the ILO Convention,” Ngige said.

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He explained that the bone of contention was the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS which the federal government had introduced to curb corruption as well as fish out ghost workers in the system.

The Minister said that ASUU agreed with the government that leakages and corruption should be tackled but has said that they have peculiarities that had made them not to embrace the IPPIS.

He said it would amount to corruption for the University teachers not to teach the students but expect to be paid within the period they were on strike, adding that the government would invoke “no work, no pay” policy.

He, however, said that the union has men of integrity and that they would see reason why the IPPIS policy was necessary.

Vanguard