THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Tuesday called the Federal Government's bluff over a plan to implement a "no-work no-pay" rule as university teachers have refused to return to classrooms.
At a briefing in Lagos yesterday, the ASUU President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, insisted that the union would not allow the issue of salaries to dampen the desire of its members to seek fundamental changes in the country's educational system.
Awuzie, who accused the Federal Government of playing politics with the sector, also regretted what he described as the propaganda to give ASUU a bad name, insisting that nothing would change the union's resolve to continue with the strike until the government returns to the negotiating table.
Citing an instance where institutions in Ghana were shut down for more than two years because of the failure of the then Ghanaian government to address issues concerning the educational system, he maintained that the union would be prepared to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible for the sake of the students, their parents and the university system.
Giving his own version of what transpired during the negotiation, Awuzie debunked a statement credited to the Minister of Information and Communications, bordering on funding, autonomy, government's offer of 40 per cent increase in academic staff salaries, alleged ASUU demand of 109 per cent salary increase, the meeting of 75 per cent of ASUU's demands and government scoring an A in meeting the demands by the union.
His words: "The problem with the Federal Government is not about ASUU demands, but to destroy the educational system, because they know that it is a vehicle for social mobility. After all, they are sending their children to study abroad. The present salary of a professor in Nigerian universities is N3,859,078.60 per annum while a local government chairman earns N13.9 million, a permanent secretary, an executive secretary, chief executives of parastatals and vice chancellors earn about N22 million per year. A Federal High Court Judge earns N26, 875,840, a Federal House member earns N35,932,346,30 and a Senator earns N36,677,840.00 per Year. We want Nigerians to judge for themselves why the Federal Government cannot meet our demand."
On autonomy, he explained that no Nigerian university generates the bulk of its funding, to individually determine the remuneration of staff, emphasising that the Cookey Commission, which was also reinforced by the Anya Commission, stipulates that the collective bargaining mechanism in the universities should be between the representation of the Association of the Governing Councils as employers and representatives of the workers union.
Citing the Labour Act, Section 31, on collective bargaining, he said: "The central negotiating framework, which was employed in the negotiation, was legally valid and in accordance with the principles of collective bargaining, recognised by the ILO and the Nigerian law and practice."
Awuzie further stressed that at no time in the agreement reached in the past with ASUU had any state government been compelled to implement the agreement. Rather, he maintained, the agreement was meant to establish and recommend minimum benchmarks for the Nigerian University System.
According to him, establishing minimum levels in the agreement is justified because Nigeria operates a single university system, accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), a single standard of entry administered by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and a flow of academic staff throughout the system.
Besides, Awuzie advised the government's team to obtain a clear mandate from its principals to abide by the principle of collective bargaining, by completing the process started in 2006 and agree to complete the negotiation by formally signing the agreement, bringing to the negotiation table a list of all contentious issues that have to be negotiated as directed by the Vice President at a meeting on July 29, 2009.
Former Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Prof Lai Olurode, in his remarks, said: "We currently have less than 25,000 lecturers in the entire university system across the country. ASUU should be prepared for a long strike. The aim of government is to keep the students from campus until 2011 because of their plans to rig elections. ASUU has negotiated long enough, it is time for government to do something."
Some of the students, in solidarity with their striking lecturers, used the opportunity to display placards stating: "Fund Education, Stop Jeopardising our Future," "Save Public Education From Total Collapse," "Egwu Must resign," "No Seven-Point Agenda, One-Point Agendum- Education."
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