NASU, SSANU kick against move to re-negotiate contentious 2009 agreement

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has expressed displeasure over the inauguration of a re-negotiation committee by the Federal Government.

The committee was inaugurated to re-negotiate the contentious 2009 agreement with university based unions. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of both unions said this in a statement jointly signed by Mr Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU and Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU President on Wednesday in Abuja.

Recall that the re-negotiation committee was inuagurated on Tuesday by the Minister of Education. The JAC said that the unions were not given due recognition.

According to the statement, the JAC of NASU and SSANU hereby strongly expresses its displeasure at the inauguration of re-negotiation committee of the 2009 agreements with university based Unions on Oct. 15.

“Firstly, 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.

“The minister of education’s inauguration speech centered almost entirely on ASUU, with only brief and cursory mentions of the other unions,” it said.

It said that the preferential treatment given to the ASUU leadership at the inauguration was unfair to the other unions.

“To confirm our fears, at the venue of the inauguration, the two unions witnessed a most humiliating experience.

“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 said.

It said that it was also obvious that NASU and SSANU were only invited as mere spectators to give a semblance of legitimacy and acceptability to an already concluded renegotiation exercise.

It further said that the President of ASUU alone was invited to give a response on behalf of other unions without consultation.

“He ended up speaking on behalf of his union, this clearly showed that the opinions and experiences of other Unions do not matter in the re-negotiation.

“The proceedings of the entire inauguration has clearly shown the imbalance of relationship and the obvious unfair treatment that would be meted out to NASU and SSANU if the renegotiation process continues in this manner.

“Consequently, the JAC of NASU and SSANU hereby condemns the entire inauguration process.

“It signals a potential bias in favour of academic staff in the upcoming negotiations, to the detriment of non-teaching staff,”the statement said.

NASU appeals to finance ministry to pay withheld salaries

Meanwhile, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has appealed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to pay withheld salaries of its members.

Dr Makolo Hassan, President of NASU, who made the appeal during a two-day National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, urged the minister to pay 50 per cent of the withheld salaries as directed by President Bola Tinubu.

According to him, the Federal Government has yet to resolve the issue of the four months unpaid salaries of NASU members in the universities and inter-university centres.

“This is in spite of the fact that we have been informed that President Bola Tinubu has directed that 50 per cent of the unpaid salary, that is the two months, be paid.

“We are reliably informed that the finance minister is the one sitting on the directive of Mr President on the matter.

“NASU will therefore, like to use this forum to appeal to him to ensure that the directive is implemented to avert further industrial crisis in our universities and inter-university centres,”he said.

He called on the Federal Government to speedily address the various issues as contained in the different agreements and Memoranda of Understanding entered with the leadership of the union.

Makolo also called on the government to enhance the living standards of the bon-teaching staff by granting them the privilege of enjoying the newly approved 65 years retirement age and 40 years of service.

He further appealed to the government to constitute the boards of the research institutions to enhance their productivity.

He also called on the President to ensure that the board of the teaching/specialist hospitals were constituted towards ensuring effectiveness in their performance.

He said that the education sector faced significant challenges, particularly funding, infrastructure decay and staff welfare that have hindered the fulfillment of the institutions’ mandates.

Also, Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, while declaring open the NEC meeting, urged all to support one another in building an education system with pride and a legacy for the future generations.

Mamman, represented by Prof. Pauline Okwelle, Executive Secretary of National Commission for Colleges of Education, said that in the face of economic challenges, there was need to focus on enhancing productivity.

“This requires us to be adaptable and innovative.The digital economy presents us with numerous opportunities to streamline and improve our services.

” Let us embrace technology, not as a threat, but as a tool to enhance our efficiency.

“Training and development in digital skills will empower us to do our jobs more effectively, align for better service delivery, and increase productivity.

“I encourage you to participate in workshops and training sessions that will equip you with the necessary skills to strive in this evolving landscape.

“As representatives of our institutions, we must exemplify professionalism and integrity in all our interactions. This not only boosts our reputation, it also instills confidence among members of our academic community,”he said.

Earlier, Prof. Aisha Maikudi, Acting Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, said that the role of non-academic staff was crucial in the advancement of education.

According to Maikudi, it is important to recognise that the smooth operation of any educational institution depends on the hard work, commitment, and efficiency of non-academic staff.

“From administrative duties to ensuring that our campuses are conducive for learning, research and innovation, your contribution is essential to the success of the university system and education as a whole,”she said.