Payment of Withheld Salaries: ASUU Berates FG on Unjustifiable Delay

•Raises alarm over collapsing varsities system

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ilorin Branch, yesterday berated the federal government unjustifiable delay in payment of the outstanding balance of the three and half months of withheld salaries of the members in the nation’s universities.

Addressing a press conference in Ilorin, at the main office of the union at University of Ilorin, the branch chairman of the union, Dr. Alex Akanmu, declared that, “The unjustifiable delay in payment of our due remuneration only mirrors attempt to frustrate the commitment and dedication of the academic staff who have continued to fulfill their responsibilities to students and the broader academic community”.

According to him, “We are convinced of this legitimate demand for the payment of our withheld salaries and condemn this slave-master attitude of the government”.

In another related development, ASUU, yesterday, also raised an alarm that the universities system across the nation is gradually collapsing due to the failure of the government to address outstanding issues with the union.

This is just as it called on concerned stakeholders to prevail on President Bola Tinubu and state governors to address the outstanding issues with the union to avert unnecessary industrial crises and total breakdown of the universities system.

The Chairman, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUE), Oyo Chapter of the union, Dr. Michael Ojo, while speaking with journalists on Tuesday, called on President Tinubu to as a matter of urgency rescue the Nigerian university system that is bleeding to death, maintaining that one of the ways to address the bleeding was for the President to rise up and sign a renegotiated agreement with ASUU.

The Ilorin varsity branch chair, Dr. Akanmu stated that, “it is twenty months and few days of resumption from the 2022 industrial action with no positive development from the government on our demands of payment of outstanding Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) in spite of being captured in the 2023 Budget and or mainstreaming to our salaries with effect from 2022.

“The payment of our EAA till date remains a mirage while the government has acted unconcerned in the face of stringent economic situation.”

The chairman however said that, “the leadership of the union has commenced consultations and mobilisations across all other branches in the country in order to enable the federal government realise the need to fulfill their demands”.

Akanmu also berated the insensitivity of the federal government towards the demands of the ASUU in the past few years despite various agreement reached but not long fulfilled.

According to him, “Needless to bother you about the open secret of our demands that led to the last industrial action for which government is still owing us three and half months already devalued withheld salaries, but we should inform you that nothing has changed and indeed, the situation is getting worse by the day given the insensitivity, carefree and recalcitrant posture of the government.

“Barely a year ago when the present administration was inaugurated, hopes were high on timely resolution of our demands and agitations given the pseudo democratic roles played by some prominent elements, now in government. 

“True to nature, they acted contrary and have been more anti-labour in their operation. With joint efforts supplied from the understanding that we have a country to rescue, we assure you that we shall overcome.

“For avoidance of doubt, few of our issues with the government are here again brought to the attention of the public especially the FGN-ASUU renegotiation of 2009 agreement.

“It is no longer a secret that our negotiated take home pay since 2009 has not changed (15 years ago!). The government, instead, of committing itself to negotiated welfare packages including our take home, revitalization of our institutions and proper funding in addition to stoppage of proliferation of institutions without structure to support such, has conscientiously maintained lines of frustration, blackmail and use of hunger as weapons to demystify the essence of our struggles.

“Moving from Babalakin to Jubril and late Briggs Committees, we have remained on the same spot of failed promises and deceit from the government”. 

The chairman added, “You recall the role played by the then Minister of Labour and Employment to truncate the negotiation, causing division among members and blackmailing our union for legitimate demands.

 “He is today on the wrong side of history and generations to come shall be reminded of their fathers’ actions in the shortest possible time. It is scriptural to remind all other agents of government that old prophets and forefathers do not live forever!

“The consequences of this needless and prolonged negotiation are, first, the avoidable exodus of scholars and, second, low morale of the workforce who are left behind in giving the very best to the system.

“We therefore call on the government to, without further delay, sign and execute the Briggs’s report which itself will be due for review in a short time from now. Government should be aware that there is nowhere in the world where wage award replaces negotiated wages”.

On his part, the chairman, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUE), Oyo Chapter of the union, Dr. Michael Ojo, said that salary awards are not substitutes for a negotiated agreement as each negotiated agreement between the federal government and ASUU is a comprehensive package that captures not just salary component but also a gamut of requirements for bench-marking a competitive university system designed for addressing the developmental challenges of Nigeria.

He stressed that the demand of ASUU for negotiated salary and other conditions of Service is anchored on the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention No. 98, stating that this underscores the principle of “Collective Bargaining” as the last FGN/ASUU Agreement was in 2009.

Ojo who led members of the union on a street protest accused the federal government of unwillingness to decisively address the outstanding issues with the union.  

He enjoined President Tinubu to immediately set in motion the process that will lead to the review and signing of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigeria’s public universities.

While putting the public on notice of a possible strike in the next two weeks, Ojo noted that the union has been sensitizing the Nigerian people in the past two months so that they will not be surprised if it resorted to strike as the last resort.

He called on “well-meaning and discerning minds, opinion leaders, traditional and religious leaders, the media, labour movements, students’ groups and civil society organizations to prevail on the Nigerian government, at both federal and state levels, to attend to the above stated outstanding issues and meet with our Union leadership so as to avert an unnecessary and avoidable industrial crisis in our already frail and weak university system.”

While insisting that the policies of the incumbent government has further impoverished Nigerians including lecturers, Ojo demanded that the outstanding salaries of lecturers who participated in the last strike should be paid the remaining three and half months.

“ASUU is now demanding for full payment of all entitlements of our members because “No Work No Pay” policy remains a breach of international labour law.

“The federal and state governments must rise up to their responsibility of adequate funding to arrest the emergent rot and decay that are becoming more noticeable on the campuses of Nigeria’s public universities in spite of the intervention efforts of TETFund”, he said.

Ojo also called on the administration of President Tinubu to approve the immediate release of funds for the continuation of critical projects in all the institutions.