...Varsity workers to resume suspended strike over withheld salaries
The Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has protested its exclusion from the list of university staff unions the Federal Government wants to meet to re-negotiate the 2009 agreement reached with the unions.
CONUA's protest came as the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, described the committee as a charade.
In a protest letter dated October 14, 2024, signed by the National President, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, and sent to the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, CONUA said such a development by the government would only create industrial disharmony in the nation's university system.
The letter, titled "Re: inauguration of re-negotiation committee, non-invitation of Congress of University Academics, CONUA," was also copied Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Minister of Labour and Employment and the Trade Union Congress, TUC.
The letter read: "The national leadership of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, is in receipt of an invitation letter to a sister union, titled 'Inauguration of re-negotiation committee,' dated October 10, 2024 and written and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo.
"The union, for the upteenth time, was taken aback that issues concerning its members, which was hitherto (before CONUA registration and legal status), represented by the only academic union at the time, will be discussed without extending invitation to CONUA.
"The implication of this oversight is that the Federal Ministry of Education is deliberately sidelining a registered academic union and jeopardising its interest and that of its membership across Nigerian universities.
"In addition, this is tantamount to shaving the heads of CONUA members in their absence, as whatever is agreed upon at such meeting will have a direct bearing on the membership.
"We, therefore, as a registered academic staff union and a major stakeholder within the university system, demand that an invitation letter be extended to CONUA where all issues relating to the re-negotiation of the 2009 Agreement will be thoroughly discussed and CONUA's voice taken on board."
SSANU, NASU kick
On its part, the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, described as a charade the inauguration of the renegotiation committee.
Recall that the committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Ministry of Education headquarters, Abuja.
Although the two non-teaching staff unions that make up JAC were present at the ceremony, their presence was said to be insignificant as there was no formal role assigned to them.
Expressing their disapproval over the alleged shabby treatment meted out on them via a statement, the unions said it was signal of a potential bias in favour of academic staff in the upcoming negotiations, to the detriment of non-teaching staff.
The statement, issued by Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU President, read: "The Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU hereby strongly expresses its displeasure and disgust at the charade witnessed at the so-called inauguration of renegotiation committee of the 2009 Agreements with university-based unions.
"First, the reference on the letters of invitation to NASU and SSANU indicated ASUU, implying that the letters originated from ASUU's file, rather than from the files of our two unions.
"The event appeared to have been primarily focused on ASUU, with the other unions seemingly included as an afterthought as the Minister of Education's inauguration speech centred almost entirely on ASUU, with only brief and cursory mentions of the other unions.
"To confirm our fears, at the venue of the inauguration, the two unions witnessed a most humiliating experience, where the President of ASUU was placed on what was referred to as the 'Responsibility table and the presidents of other unions looked on from their positions of 'irresponsibility'.
"From the proceeding, it was obvious that NASU and SSANU were only invited as mere spectators to give a semblance of legitimacy and acceptability to an already concluded renegotiation.
"Consequently, the JAC of NASU and SSANU, hereby, condemns the entire charade that took place in the name of an inauguration as it signals a potential bias in favour of academic staff in the upcoming negotiations, to the detriment of non-teaching staff and, therefore, expresses our misgivings about the process of the inauguration."
Varsity workers to resume suspended strike
Meanwhile, there were strong indications, yesterday, that the nation's university system may be crippled any moment from now, as members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and other Associated Institutions, NASU, have threatened to resume their suspended strike over four months withheld salaries by the Federal Government.
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The General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, dropped the hint on the sidelines of the ongoing National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the union in Abuja.
Although he declined to give the exact date of the strike's commencement, it is expected that the NEC members will take the decision during their meeting.
Adeyemi, who noted that members' patience had been exhausted, declared: "We are going to resume the suspended strike."
Speaking with journalists at the NEC meeting venue about the two months' salaries that President Bola Tinubu directed should be paid, out of the four months withheld salaries, the General Secretary said: "What is new is that the President's directive has been disobeyed. We used to know that the president's words can be equated to a command.
"So, when the President said do this, his aides quickly deal with it. But in this case, it seems as though the minister of finance has his own priorities beyond what he ought to have done.
"The money has not been paid. Now it is obvious that we are going to resume our suspended strike. We have given the government enough notice."
