By Cross Udo, Abuja
Yesterday, the Federal Government assured university-based unions and organised labour that it was committed to fulfilling all agreements.
The government also appealed to the unions to be patient, stressing that President Bola Tinubu was determined to fulfil all agreements he entered into with them.
Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, gave the assurance while speaking at the 3rd Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, in Abuja.
The Minister said that he acknowledged the historic frustrations of unions due to unfulfilled agreements by previous governments.
He said that President Tinubu, known for his democratic values and decision-making in the country’s interest, remained committed to meeting the obligations the government has made with these unions.
Alausa urged the unions to be patient and trust the government’s trajectory, citing efforts to stabilise the economy by eliminating unsustainable subsidies and reforms in critical sectors like education and health.
Addressing the ongoing struggles in the education sector, the Minister assured that the government is working to meet its commitments to workers and students alike.
He called for mutual respect and understanding between the government and labour unions and assured that the payment of outstanding allowances for university workers would be completed.
“The Federal Ministry of Education remains committed to promoting industrial peace across our universities. When adequately negotiated and implemented, we recognize that staff welfare translates into a more productive and stable academic environment.
“This is why we actively dialogue with university staff associations, seeking to address grievances and implement agreements effectively. We understand that the future of our education system hinges on collaboration, mutual respect, and accountability.
“The government is here to negotiate in good faith; President Tinubu is a democrat who will work to fulfill the obligations he has entered into. We can’t build a sustainable future if we’re spending on unsustainable debt”, he stated.
In his keynote address, the former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, spoke on the theme of Respecting Collective Bargaining Agreements and Industrial Peace in a Democracy and stressed the importance of government accountability in labour agreements.
Wabba noted that the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in Nigeria have negatively impacted workers across the country, making the new minimum wage unworkable.
He highlighted the importance of effective negotiation and adherence to agreements to foster industrial harmony between the unions and the government.
He said, “The truth is that those who violate the rules of democracy to get into positions of political leadership would also violate the laws of collective bargaining agreements, as we had earlier highlighted.
“The maxim is “once a rule breaker, always a rule breaker.” Once rules breaking is not censored and punished, rules breaking and rules breakers only build more muscles and methods on rules breaking the industrial space will not be spared of such anti-social habit once allowed to form.”
Earlier, SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim appealed to the federal government to release the remaining three months’ withheld salaries of members.
Ibrahim also called for releasing the N50bn earned allowances and the wage award.
“We urge the Government to release the remaining three months withheld salaries, the N50bn Earned Allowances, Arrears of 25/35 percent, and the wage award.”
He further said, “Happenings in our country over the last four years have, however, thrown up new challenges to us as a Union. We had thought we would only have to deal with the disruptions created by the COVID-19 Pandemic and its wanton effects not just on us as a Union but on the entire globe.
“More recently, we have had to further deal with government policies that have impoverished the already downtrodden Nigerian worker, thereby subjecting them to an almost slavish existence. The experiences in the last year for the Nigerian workers, especially members of SSANU, have been particularly nasty and brutish.
“The greatest challenge besetting the Nigerian educational system, particularly tertiary education, has been the spate of industrial actions occasioned by breaches of agreements between the unions and their employers.
“Since the advent of the civilian, or if you like, democratic government in 1999, we have witnessed increased accusations of failure of collective bargaining at Governments at both Federal and State levels.
“Industrial tensions in our tertiary institutions, protests, and strikes have become the order of the day. Unfortunately, the trend has created a situation where unions and their leaders are being perceived as being too belligerent or strike-happy.”
