ASUU: Why We Rejected Federal Goverment’s Salary Structure

The Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU) has made sense of why it dismissed the central government’s proposal of scholarly compensation structure.

Review that at the continued gathering of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and ASUU 2009 Agreement Re-discussion Committee on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, the public authority group introduced an “Grant” of a Recommended Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) ready by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to ASUU.

However, in a press explanation endorsed by ASUU president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, which was made accessible to LEADERSHIP, the Union solidly dismissed the “Grant”.

He said the 1981 FGN-ASUU Agreement, under the Shehu Shagari-drove organization, laid out the rule of aggregate dealing, in view of the Wages Boards and Industrial Council’s Decree No 1 of 1973, the Trade Dispute Act (1976), ILO Conventions 49 (1948), 91(1950), 154 (1988) and suggestion 153 (1981), Udoji Commission Report of 1974, and Cookey Commission Report of 1981.

The assertion peruses in parts, “It likewise gave a stage to settling such significant issues as exceptional Salaries and Conditions of Service of University Staff, University Funding, jobs of Pro Chancellors, Vice-Chancellors, and National Universities Commission (NUC). A key result was a unique compensation scale for college staff known as University Salary Structure (USS).

“At the beginning of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement on sixteenth March 2017, the two the Federal Government and ASUU Teams consented to be directed by the accompanying standards as their terms of reference which incorporates, inversion of the rot in the Nigerian University System, all together reposition it for its liabilities in public turn of events.

“Inversion of the mind channel, not just by upgrading the compensation of scholarly staff, yet in addition by separating them from the encumbrances of a brought together considerate help wage structure; (iii) Restoration of Nigerian Universities, through prompt, gigantic and supported monetary mediation; and nsuring veritable college independence and scholastic opportunity.

“Government’s clandestine shift to set to the side the rule of aggregate bartering, which is all around the world practically speaking, has the capability of harming teachers’ mind and annihilating obligation to the college framework. This is, no question, damaging to Nigeria’s desire to turn into a functioning player in the worldwide information industry

“Dismissing a compensation bundle showed up at through aggregate bartering is a renouncement of government’s proclamations on switching “mind channel”. It is widely known that, more now than during the 1980s and 1990s, Nigerian researchers, particularly in scant regions like science and medication, are moving in large numbers to Europe, America and many pieces of Africa like South Africa, Rwanda, and Ghana with strong climate to carry out their specialties as well as aggressive prize frameworks for scholarly endeavors. Does the Nigerian government think often about what is the fate of state funded colleges in another five or a decade in the event that this pattern proceeds?”

Osodeke said national government’s renouncement of aggregate bartering was in dishonesty, adding that it’s a retrogressive step for a popularity based government to revoke the aggregate dealing standard after over 40 years of its presentation into the Nigerian University System.

He added, “Government forced the continuous strike activity on ASUU and it has urged it to wait on account of its provocative detachment. The Munzali Jibril-drove renegotiation board presented the main Draft Agreement in May 2021 however government’s true reaction didn’t come until around one year after the fact! Once more, the “Grant” introduced by the Nimi Briggs-drove Team went over in a way of live with or without it on a piece of paper. No serious country on the planet treats their researchers along these lines.”

He regretted that it was an inefficient spending, misappropriation of asset and inside and out taking of aggregate patrimony.

“That’s what ASUU trusts in the event that the spillages in the administration of the country’s assets are halted, there will be all that anyone could need to meet the country’s income and consumption focuses without getting and diving the country into an obligation emergency similar to the case now.

“The New Draft Agreement has other significant proposals for the financing of significant parts of the reevaluated 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement.

“One of such proposals is the expense on cellphone and correspondence lines. Incidentally, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning as of late reported its preparation to carry out ASUU’s suggestion, as an income source, yet not really for training, without recognizing the Union,” he added.

The ASUU president further encouraged the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, to get back to the New Draft Agreement of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Renegotiation Committee whose work traversed a sum of five and half years as an exhibit of entirely pure intentions.