EDUCATION CRISIS: Govt, Labour talk tough as sharing formula for N23bn tears varsity unions apart

The sharing pattern of the N23 billion released by the Federal Government to Nigerian universities for earned allowances has torn apart unions in the ivory towers, even as the strike action some of them embarked upon lingers.

Meanwhile the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has warned the unions to avoid prompting the Federal Government to wield the big stick by invoking the relevant section of the labour laws on “No Work, No Pay,” saying it will be disastrous in the season of Christmas and end of the year, if implemented.

But National President of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Chijioke Ugwuoke, when contacted stated in clear terms that the unions were not intimidated by Government’s plan to implement the ‘no work, no pay policy’.

Already, the non-teaching staff unions in the Universities under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee (JAC) have rejected the sum of N4.6 billion given to them from the N23 billion meant for the four unions in the universities.

To drive home their point, three unions under JAC comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), described the N4.6 billion allocated to them as pittance and resolved nationwide to resume strike from Monday.

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Findings revealed that the sharing formula allegedly supervised by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sonny Ochono is also generating ripples even within the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which was given the lion share of over N18 billion as the University of Ilorin and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) branches of the union were said to have been excluded in the sharing due to ASUU’s internal politics.

It was further gathered that the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has also questioned the rationale behind the sharing formula without recourse to the University Governing Council that is in possession of the data of staff and their positions that worked between 2009 and 2012 when the Earned Allowance was approved.

In a statement directing all branches to resume strike Monday, the JAC of NAAT, NASU and SSANU accused the Federal Government of not implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), they entered into on September 20, 2017.

Chairman of JAC and National President of SSANU, Chijioke Ugwoke told our reporter in Abuja that for the three non-teaching staff unions; “the allocation as presently done is laced with motive of destabilizing the University system and causing disaffection among members of the University community.

“We see the recent development as a deliberate attempt to destabilize the Muhammadu Buhari administration and we call on the Federal Government to investigate this anomalous action by the Federal Ministry of Education, under Echono’s watch.”

Even as the JAC said it was not begrudging ASUU in any way, it was afraid that staff that worked for the approved Earned Allowances who have either retired or died may be excluded from the payment, while some teaching staff who had not joined the services of the respective benefiting universities as at the time it was approved, could even reap the fruit of other peoples’ labour.

He questioned the rationale behind the allocation of N328 million to the Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA), while University of Ibadan got N105 million (less than one third of FUTA’s), adding that the N23 million allocated to University of Lagos was ridiculous.

“In the MoU signed in 20th September 2017, it was clearly stated that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission would ensure that the process of issuing a Service Wide Circular in compliance with the NIC (National Industrial Court) judgement would be completed within four (4) weeks from the date of that meeting.

Meanwhile, as the indefinite strike of the three non-teaching staff unions of universities entered its fifth day, Friday, the Federal Government, said it had remained substantially faithful to the spirit of the Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) signed with them on September 20.

Reacting to the indefinite industrial action embarked upon by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) National Association of Academic Technologists(NAAT) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) operating under the acronym of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said Government had not only fully met all the twelve-point condition raised in the memorandum but also complied religiously with the timelines for the implementation of the agreement .

A statement by the Deputy Director, Press, Samuel Olowookere enjoined them to call off their on-going indefinite strike and make a fresh case regarding their reservation on the implementation of the Point One of the Agreement, concerning the disbursement of the N23 billion Earned Allowances.

The minister said it was important for Nigerians to be informed that Government had fully complied with its own part of the agreement and asked the non-teaching staff of universities not to blame the Federal Government for what the striking unions termed the “skewed disbursement formula” for the N23 billion Earned Allowances released by the Government.

“The Joint Action Committee of Non-Teaching Staff came with twelve-point demand. We sat over it and agreed on all, on September 20, 2017. As I speak, the Federal Government has fully implemented the major contemporary issues such as payment of shortfalls, registration with PENCOM etc. in the agreement. The only grievance the unions have today is that the modality for the disbursement of the N23 billion the Federal Government released for the settlement of earned allowances is skewed against them.”

“But I advised them during the negotiation to call off their strike when it entered the fifth day and quickly forward their own template for accessing this N23 billion meant for the academic and non-academic staff of the universities, since the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had already submitted. They bluntly refused and dragged the strike for weeks,” he stated.

Ngige picked holes in the varsity workers’ argument that they merely resumed their suspended action, stressing that a strike which had been adequately conciliated, called off, and the terms of agreement implemented, cannot yield itself as a basis for resumption of the same action.

Said he, “If the unions under JAC are embarking on a fresh strike, they are yet to comply with the relevant sections of the Labour Laws for embarking on action.”

Ngige however, said that nothing had been lost as the unions could still make a fresh case for inclusion in the 2018 budget, adding that the Federal Government was willing to address this.

He therefore, warned the unions to avoid prompting the Federal Government to wield the big stick by invoking the relevant section of the labour laws on “No Work, No Pay,” saying it will be disastrous in the season of Christmas and end of the year, if implemented.

SSANU National President, Chijioke Ugwuoke, when contacted stated in clear terms that the unions were not intimidated by Government’s plan to implement the ‘no work, no pay policy’.

The implication therefore, is that peace may not return to the nation’s ivory towers in the near future.

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