By Victor AhiumaYoung

THE industrial issues and other crises in the nation’s educational and associated institutions have become endemic so is the determination of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, to battle them to a logical conclusion.

At the opening ceremony of its 8th Quadrennial Delegates Conference which is ending today, NASU enumerated some of the lingering industrial issues and others including funding of tertiary institutions, teaching/specialist hospitals, research and allied institutions, primary and secondary schools, examination bodies and libraries as well as the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS.

Addressing guests and delegates, President of NASU, Dr Makolo Hassan, also spoke of the Inconclusive renegotiations of FGN/NASU agreements in tertiary institutions and partial waiver of the “no work, no pay” order the President.

IPPIS

Among others, NASU’s President noted that the IPPIS “policy by the Federal Government is associated with numerous inconsistencies and challenges, which include sharp practices by officials and staff of IPPIS as well as their lackadaisical attitudes that is causing delay in the payment of salaries; delay of third-party payments and the payment of amputated salaries. These have made a mess of whatever good intentions the Government had for introducing the policy.

“It is a matter of concern to us that despite all the noticeable shortcomings of IPPIS from 2020 to date, brought to the attention of those charged with the responsibility of supervising their operations, no noticeable rectification have been effected and this continue to impact negatively on NASU members and third parties.

“It is as a result of all these, that NASU and SSANU were forced to produce an alternative platform to the Government platform for the implementation of the policy, which was found to be more appropriate and functional, when it was subjected to integrity test by relevant Government officials and agencies.

FGN/NASU Agreements

“Collective Bargaining Agreements NASU signed with the Federal Government in year 2009 in respect of Universities and year 2010 in respect of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education were to be subjected to renegotiation between 3 to 5 years. Unfortunately, years after these Agreements were due for renegotiation, the Federal Government failed to constitute its Teams that will negotiate with the Union.

“When the Renegotiations eventually commenced in 2017, meetings of the Committees suffered from several adjournments, which were at the instance of the Federal Government Teams, thereby unnecessarily disrupting the smooth workings of the Committees. This was responsible for the inconclusive work of the Renegotiating Committees before President Muhammadu Buhari handed over to the current administration.

“One of the contentious issues during the renegotiations was the financial components of the negotiations, which all Government Teams of the three Renegotiation Committees said will be left until the tail end of the negotiations.

“It is therefore with mix feelings that the Union welcomed the 25 percent salary award to all workers in Federal tertiary institutions. In industrial relations practice, when collective bargaining is ongoing, there is no place for awards, as awards cannot replace Collective Agreements. Collective bargaining brings about a fair and just wage, that is based on Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), which is done to counteract the effect of rising prices in the economy called inflation.

“While appreciating the salary award given to workers of Federal tertiary institutions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially as we recall that he inherited the inconclusive renegotiation, we call on the President to reconstitute Government Teams to conclude the renegotiations of the Agreements with the Union for Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. This will guarantee peace and stability in the education sector especially when the Federal Government also implements Agreements that will be reached. 

No work, no pay

On no work, no pay, Hassan said “We acknowledge the presidential waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” order and the directive given by the President to pay 50% of the withheld salaries of workers in the Universities resulting from the strikes embarked upon by the Unions in 2022.

“While appreciating the President for the partial waiver because it was a crisis he inherited and not created by him, let me draw the attention of Advisers of the President especially on the issue, to the fact that the waiver and the conditions attached to it, cannot guarantee industrial peace in the sector as the issues that foisted the strike on NASU and other Unions in the Universities sub-sector remain unresolved.

“We in NASU look forward to having a cordial working relationship with the current administration. In this regard, therefore, we call on the President to go the full stretch by directing the payment to our members in the Universities and Inter -University Centres all their withheld salaries and the removal of the conditionality attached to the waiver.”