The labour dispute between the Federal
Government and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU) which has resulted in the
six-week old strike by the university lecturers
took a worse turn yesterday with the Federal
Government threatening to invoke its no-work-
no-pay policy to force the striking lecturers
back to work.
This was made known by the Secretary to
Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim
Pius Anyim, at a meeting with the chairmen of
university governing councils and vice-
chancellors on Friday who ordered the striking
university lecturers to return to their duty
posts while the pending issues were being
resolved.
He also directed all the governing councils of
the various universities to open the gates of
the institutions to students as from next week.
The directives followed the inability of both
parties (FG and ASUU) to reach a definite
agreement on the issue earned allowances to
university workers after about two months of
dialogue and negotiations and the threat by the
union to discontinue talks with government.
The Federal Government also disbursed the
N30 billion it provided to support the councils
for the payment of academic earned
allowances to lecturers, at the meeting.
Anyim said this was in addition to the N100
billion provided by the government to address
the challenges of infrastructural deficit in the
system.
He said: "Mr. President is fully committed to
bringing the students back to school and
appreciates the patience of parents and
students as government is making every
effortto revitalise the university system.
"By this demonstration of clear commitment
torevitalise the university system, government
hereby urges every (member of) staff of the
nation's universities to return to work as all
issues are being resolved.
"With particular reference to the contentious
issue of earned allowances, every (member of)
staff of the universities that is so entitled
should verify his claim with his university
council and accordingly get paid," he said.
SGF said the Earned Allowances was the
majorissue in dispute, adding that traditionally,
universities pay deserving staff but "because of
the amount that ASUU now claims as arrears,
government decided to assist the university
councils to pay."
He said the Federal Government did not
receive any computation of amount involved
until February, 2013 and that ASUU demanded
for an outrageous sum of N92 billion arrears
for three years' payment based on percentage
range of between 15 and 20 of personnel cost.
The Minister of Education, Professor
RugayyatuAhmed Rufa'i, also said that ASUU
actually went on strike over the initial offer of
five per cent of personnel cost of the entire
university staff.
She said that government had addressed all
other issues raised by the union for them to
call off the strike.
She maintained that government had no money
to pay the N92 billion academic Earned
Allowances requested by ASUU, insisting that it
was not feasible in view of the current state of
the nation's economy.
Anyim further said: "After series of discussions
involving the National Assembly; the SGF; the
Chairman of the Needs Assessment Report
Implementation Committee, Governor Gabriel
Suswam; the ministers of Education, Labour;
and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy
and other stakeholders, government has now
provided N30 billion to support the university
councils in settling the Earned Allowances."
He said all other issues of Consolidated Salary
Structure for Academics in Nigerian
Universities (CONUASS II), amendment of
Pensionable Retirement Age of Academics in
the Professorial Cadre to 70 years have been
fully implemented.
Anyim said most of the issues contained in
the2009 agreement, which necessitated the
current strike, have been fully met, except for
the Earned Allowances, which ASUU pegged at
N92 billion.
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He said, "On July 2nd, 2013, ASUU declared
what it called, 'total and indefinite strike' over
issues it says have remained unresolved
pertaining to an agreement it reached with
government in 2009. It is pertinent to narrate
the genesis of the 2009 agreement.
ASUU went on strike action in 2006 based on
their request for a review of personnel
matters, on account of this, government
initiated a Needs Assessment of the University
system comprising federal and state
universities. The negotiations led to the 2009
agreement.
"Some of the issues which bothered on
amendment of pensionable retirement age of
academics in the professorial cadre;
consolidated peculiar allowances (CONPUAA),
exclusively for university teaching staff;
National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS);
setting up of budget monitoring committee in
all public universities have been fully
implemented."
He said the Federal Government had explained
why ASUU's demands concerning the transfer
of Federal Government landed property to
universities would not be possible to
implement.
"Government has been clear that it cannot
transfer government's landed property to
ASUU because it has no structure to manage or
maintain such property.
Government is, however, willing to support any
council that sets up a property company with
management structure to compete with others
in the industry," he stated.
In a related development, the Minister of
Education, Ruqayyatu Rufa'I, at the event in
Abuja, said she expected ASUU to suspend
thestrike going by the latest action of
government.
She said the situation had generated so much
anxiety on the part of students, parents and
government, and that negotiations on the
remaining issues could continue.
"Government is ready to implement all the
recommendations, particularly as it relates to
revitalisation of the universities system. I want
to assure you that this will be done in the
nextfew years.
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief
Emeka Wogu; Chairman, Senate Committee
onEducation, Senator Uche Chukwumerije; and
the Chairman, House Committee on
Education,Honourable Aminu Suleiman, all
attended the meeting.
This comes after ASUU had on Thursday
foreclosed further talks with the Federal
Government negotiation team, an indication
ofa total collapse of negotiations.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of ASUU
President, Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge, on the
development were unsuccessful as his mobile
phone line was 'unreachable'.
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