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ASUU explains why meeting with FG ended in deadlock

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said yesterday that an offensive award of Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), prepared by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, caused its meeting with the Federal Government on Tuesday to end in deadlock.

The union, in a press statement signed by its President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed anger that the “award”, presented by the Prof. Nimi Briggs-led team came in a manner of “take-it-or-leave-it”, on an ordinary sheet of paper.

Osodeke said the ‘award of salary’, is against the principle of collective bargaining based on the Wages Boards and Industrial Council’s Decree No. 1 of 1973, the Trade Dispute Act (1976).

He said it is also against the ILO Conventions 49 (1948), 91(1950), 154 (1988), and recommendation 153 (1981), Udoji Commission Report of 1974, and Cookey Commission Report of 1981.

He said the report also provided a platform for resolving such important issues as special Salaries and Conditions of Service of University Staff, University Funding, roles of Pro Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors, and National Universities Commission (NUC).

He said a key outcome was a special salary scale for university staff known as University Salary Structure (USS).

He, therefore, said the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, should return to the New Draft Agreement of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Renegotiation Committee, covering a total of five and half years, as a demonstration of good faith.

In the statement titled: “Why ASUU Rejects Government’s Award of Salary,” the union claimed the government imposed the ongoing strike on them, and has encouraged it to linger because of its provocative indifference.

It further reads: “The Munzali Jibril-led renegotiation committee submitted the first Draft Agreement in May 2021 but the government’s official response did not come until about one year later.

“Again, the ‘Award’ presented by the Nimi Briggs-led Team, came across in a manner of take-it-or-leave-it on a sheet of paper. No serious country in the world treats their scholars this way.

“Over the years, particularly since 1992, the Union had always argued for, and negotiated a separate salary structure for academics for obvious reasons.

“ASUU does not accept any awarded salary as was the case in the administration of Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar. The separate salary structures in all FGN/ASUU Agreements were usually the outcome of Collective Bargaining processes.”

ASUU believes that if the leakages in the management of the country’s resources are stopped, there will be more than enough to meet the nation’s revenue and expenditure targets without borrowing and plunging the country into debt crisis as is the case now.

Official sleaze

As far as the Union is concerned, the Federal Government’s miserly offer on the ground of paucity of revenue was not tenable.

“This is because of several reasons, chief of which is poor management of the economy. This has given rise to leakages in the revenue of governments at all levels.

“There is wasteful spending, misappropriation of funds and outright stealing of our collective patrimony.

“ASUU believes that if the leakages in the management of the country’s resources are stopped, there will be more than enough to meet the nation’s revenue and expenditure targets without borrowing and plunging the country into debt crisis as is the case now.

“At the commencement of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement on March 16, 2017, both the federal government and ASUU teams agreed to be guided by” some terms of reference.

“ASUU, however, expressed regrets that the former reneged on its side of obligations and agreed in the agreement,” the statement said.

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