Onwuka Nzeshi
10 July 2009
Abuja — Following the multiple industrial unrest that has gripped three key sectors of the Nigerian economy namely, education, health and information, the House of Representatives yesterday summoned the ministers in charge of education, health and information and communication, Dr. Sam Egwu, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin and Professor Dora Akunyili.
The three ministers are to appear before the relevant House committees to brief the lawmakers on issues surrrounding the strike actions and what steps they have taken to resolve them.
But the Federal Government yesterday moved to resolve the ASUU strike by agreeing to pay an enhanced salary as demanded by ASUU.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has brought academic activities in the nationís public universities to a halt since a forthnight ago when their long- drawn battle with the Federal Government over an agreement reached its climax.
The university teachers' union has been seeking improved funding for the universities, better remuneration for academics as well as relative autonomy for the ivory towers for many years without success.
Also, medical and health workers in public hospitals are on strike while Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union (RATTAWU) has also embarked on industrial action to press home some specific demands usually pertaining to welfare of its members.
The summons followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Honourable Austine Nwachukwu (PDP, Imo) on the strike action by health workers across the country and its consequences on the society.
Nwachukwu who represents Ehime Mbano/Ihitte- Uboma/Obowo Federal Constituency alerted the House on the current strike embarked upon by nurses and doctors in the nation's public health institutions and expressed dismay that a number of patients admitted into these hospitals have died in the last few days because there were no medical personnel to attend to their cases.
He urged the House to prevail on the Minister of Health to take immediate steps to arrest the situation before more avoidable casualties were recorded in hospitals across the country.
Nwachukwu also prayed the House Committee on Health to investigate the circumstances behind the said strike and ascertain the number of persons that may have died during the period.
The motion which attracted several comments saw members referring to other industrial actions involving the ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASUU) as well as the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) and the impact of these on the economy. The lawmakers expressed fear that some other industrial unions may join in the mass strike that could bring the nation to a halt.
The House unanimously resolved that the relevant Committees of the House should within one week invite the three ministers for the purpose of investigating the strike actions in their sectors. The lawmakers said they will do all they can to prevail on the executive arm of government to listen to the complaints of the unions. They also urged striking workers to heed the call by well meaning Nigerians and return to work in the interest of the nation.
A similar motion was also brought to the floor by another lawmaker, Honourable Halims Agoda (PDP Delta) urging the House to condemn the alleged squandering of fund believed to be about one hundred and twenty million naira (N120m) on a birthday party by the Minister of Education, Egwu, even in the heat of the crisis plaguing the education sector.
Announcing Federal Govern-ment decision to bow to ASUU's demands, Minister of Labour, Adetokunbo Kayode told newsmen that "I have got approval from the Federal Government for an increase in the salary of academic staffers in Nigerian Universities."
He said the government has agreed to guarantee a minimum increase in the members' pay but each branch of the union was free to negotiate with its respective institution for a higher pay.
The minister who did not disclose the percentage of the increase, said government was aware that some institutions could afford to pay higher than what the Federal Government has offered. He said the Federal Government would also not negotiate on behalf of state-owned tertiary institutions."It is left for such branches to go and negotiate with their owner-states and some may even afford to pay higher," Kayode said.
But the National President of ASUU, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, had condemned the salary increase, saying the Federal Government's decision to increase the salary of members of the union was to "trivialise the issues" in contention,which led to the ongoing strike."The issues are not about salary increase. They are about access to university education, brain drain, funding and the rot in infrastructure," he told NAN on phone.
Last Monday, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) threatened to declare an industrial dispute with the Federal Government if the latter failed to honour an agreement reached with the Association on the Medical Salary Scale (MSS). It served a notice that by July 18, 2009 it would call out its members on the strike if nothing positive was done on the new wage structure.
Similarly, the Senior Staff Association of University Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) this week threatened to embark on strike unless the new policy of slashing their pay packet to be in parity with other civil servants was not reversed.
A similar industrial unrest is said to be looming in the power sector where the Electricity Workers Union in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) have threatened to down tools and throw the entire nation into darkness.
Meanwhile, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Prince Adekunbo Kayode, yesterday in Abuja, hosted a meeting between the management and union leaders of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
The meeting was in a bid to avert another nationwide strike by the workers of the national electricity company. Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies and the National Union of Electricity Employees had threatened to call their members out on strike.The unions said starting from July 13, if the management failed to implement an agreement they reached on a salary increase and the implementation of the monetisation policy, they would embarkon the strike.
The meeting came as post offices nationwide remained shut as NIPOST workers began a strike to press their demand for the paymentof monetisation arrears. NAN correspondents across the country reports that the gates of post offices in different states were closed by security guards as workers in the organisations stayed away.
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