53.37% pay rise for varsity workers

The Federal government yesterday approved 53.37 per cent salary increase for the three non-teaching unions in the nation’s public universities.

The unions are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff of Universities (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

Following this development SSANU, NASU and NAAT immediately called off the four months old industrial action indefinitely and directed all their members to resume work without delay.

The National President of SSANU, Mr. Promise Adewusi, his NAAT’s counterpart, Alhaji Abdullatif Jokomba and the General Secretary of NASU, Mr. Peter Adeyemi, gave the directive suspending the strike after they separately signed the agreement with the Federal Government’s team.

The Chairman of the negotiating team, Mr. Gamaliel Onosode, signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while the Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors, Dr. Wale Babalakin, signed on behalf of the university managements.

Although details of the agreement were sketchy as at press time, a highly placed source told our correspondent that the unions got 53.37 per cent salary increase from the Federal Government.

The source said: "The salary increase is 53.37 per cent on CONTISS (Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure) of January 1, 2007."

The National Vice-President (North) of SSANU, Mr. Timothy Ahile, told reporters after the signing that the contentious issue of 65 years retirement age had been approved as part of the agreement, while the agreement would be reviewed in 2012.

Before the signing of the agreements, which took place at the National Universities Commission (NUC) headquarters, Onosode, called on each union president to confirm his acceptance or otherwise of the agreement.

Onosode said: "I want to confirm if this document which is now available for execution represents and faithfully captures the agreement reached. We even went so far as to include in the document issues that were raised but on which.

"I want to align myself completely with the commitment which has been expressed by the three presidents of the three unions that this agreement we hope is pointing us in a direction that will help us as a people to have the glory of our university system restored."

Adewusi in his reply said: "We are happy with this document being a product of collective bargaining."

Jokpmba said: "On behalf of my members, I want to say that this document that has come of age as a result of collective bargaining is a true situation and reflection of what happened and we accept it."

Adeyemi, who represented the president of NASU said: "The document before us represents in totality the summary of what has happened."

The Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu said the over four month’s old strike would be the last in the annals of Nigerian universities, adding that the government would urgently set up an implementation committee. He said: "I will immediately constitute the implementation panel so that the details of the agreement will be implemented to the letter. After that, we are going to convey a National Summit on Education where all stakeholders will be gathered to fashion out a better way to ensure good education system.

"In Nigeria, we should not be comparing our universities with the universities in Africa, but we should be comparing them with universities in the world.

"With the signing of this agreement, I am convinced that we shall no longer have strike in the university system. I thank God first for seeing us through that difficult period of negotiations and when all the unions in our universities went on strike.

"I am excited that we have eventually come to the successful end of this negotiation which started in 2001 and re-negotiated in 2006. It has not been easy all this while. I thank all those who took part in the negotiation, especially the Chairman, Deacon Onosode who has the Wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job."