When the Union’s Voice is Muffled: Trade Unionism Under Strain in Nigeria
Workers are front-line but unions feel the squeeze
In Nigeria, workers are finding it harder and harder for their voices to be heard.. Among them, non-academic staff in universities and research institutions are showing signs of serious push-back; not just from employers but from the state of labour rights itself. Staff show up, do the work, but the collective framework designed to protect them is under threat. In other words, the guardians of worker dignity; the unions, are facing an assault on their agency.
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU); a union that represents non-teaching staff across Nigeria’s universities, colleges, and research institutions says it faces the looming shadow of a “no work, no pay” doctrine being deployed against legitimate strike action and collective bargaining. According to its General Secretary, vocal trade unions are increasingly being penalised simply for exercising their lawful rights.
It’s a telling moment: workers are present, yet feel powerless; unions are operative, yet feel under siege.
Power imbalance, labour rights and class dynamics
The crisis has multiple layers:
First, there is the state-employer axis. The Nigerian federal government and public institutions are reported to be reneging on agreements, delaying implementation of wage or salary adjustments, or penalising union actions.
Second, the union strength axis is weakening. For example, the suspension of check-off-dues deductions (union dues collected via employer payroll) at West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has been cited as a form of union-suppression.
Third, the worker-class dimension. The non-academic staff are part of the broader working class; their labour is essential for universities and research, yet they lack the elite status of academic staff, and thus have fewer buffers when negotiations stall. Their precarity speaks directly to class-based vulnerabilities within the tertiary sector.
The threat of “no work, no pay” is more than a policy; it is a lever aimed at shifting power away from organised labour, reinforcing employer dominance. NASU argues that rather than being enforced when workers strike irresponsibly, this policy is being applied when worker demands are legitimate and longstanding.
Why this matters for the African labour movement
This is not just a Nigerian story. Across Africa, unions face a changing terrain in which:
Labour rights are squeezed by austerity, outsourcing, and casualisation.
Governments and employers wield regulatory tools to weaken collective bargaining or union autonomy.
Workers in non-traditional sectors (education, research, service) are often neglected in labour organising strategies.
There are lessons to be drawn:
Unions must guard their institutional baselines: check-off dues, union recognition, and bargaining rights. Once these erode, organising capacity falls.
Data and visibility matter: documenting when and how union rights are undermined allows broader solidarity to form both domestically and internationally (for example via International Labour Organization conventions).
Connect the workers’ narrative to the broader decent-work agenda: It’s not just about salaries; it’s about dignity, voice, job security, and respect. If unions are seen as about “special deals”, the narrative weakens; if they are about how work is valued in society, they strengthen.
Conclusion: Turning alarm into action
When a union says it is under threat, the danger is not only to the union institution but to the entire system of work relations. When workers lack effective collective voice, labour becomes fragmented, vulnerability grows, and the bargaining position of workers diminishes.
For the African labour movement this moment is urgent: defending union space is defending work itself. As NASU warns, when “no work, no pay” becomes a weapon rather than a safeguard, the balance of power shifts decisively.
The question for unions, civil society, and worker-organisations is clear: how will they respond? Will they build the alliances, sharpen their tactics, and defend the space for worker voice? Or will institutional erosion quietly become the new norm?
The answer will shape not just Nigerian labour relations, but the future of decent work across Africa.
References:
“Trade Unions Under Threat in Nigeria, NASU warns,” AIT LIVE, 2025. Link
“NASU Accuses WAEC of Victimising Workers, Threatens Nationwide Strike,” Independent Nigeria, 19 March 2025. Link
“Victimising workers: Controversial suppression of trade unionism at WAEC Nigeria,” Vanguard, 13 March 2025. Link
“Government playing politics with workers’ welfare; NASU,” Vanguard, 29 October 2025. Link
“NASU: Economic Hardship Affecting Workers’ Productivity, Dignity,” THURSDAY, 30 October 2025. Link