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By Gabriel Dike
Less than 24 hours after the Federal Government proposed a new salary package for university lecturers, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday insisted on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to arrive at new salary.
The union told Daily Sun that the Minister of Education, Mallam Admau Adamu, did not bring anything new to the table because his announcement was what ASUU had earlier rejected and tagged it as an award rather than collective bargaining between the two parties.
The education minister at a parley on Tuesday with Pro-Chancellor and Chairmen, Governing Council and Vice Chancellors of federal universities in Abuja announced 35 percent salary increment for professors and 23.5 percent for other lecturers.
ASUU officials told our Correspondent that the education minister’s announcement is not new and does not require summoning a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC).
ASUU Lagos Zone Coordinator, Dr. Adelaja Odukoya, said there is nothing to celebrate about the announced salary and nothing to react about because it is not new to the union.
His words: “What the minister did was to state what they did. All that has become history having failed to fly scandalously.’’
“Government is desperately seeking an escape route hence the setting up of the 14 member committee to revisit the abandoned Nimi Briggs renegotiation report thus signalling the end of Adamu’s award and related matters.”
Odukoya further disclosed that ASUU stand on collective bargaining agreement captured in various negotiation and regeneration committees.
He described the composition of another committee by the education minister to review renegotiation report as a victory for ASUU, adding, “this is what the government ought to have done since.”
Another ASUU chairman told Daily Sun that government is aware of the process for new salary and not just mere award and announcement.
According to him, ASUU stands on collective bargaining agreement, which was contained in 2009 agreement and discussed in two other renegotiation committees.
He said: “There is no need for NEC meeting. To discuss what, we had earlier rejected the award of salary. This is a minister that has not been available to ASUU. His announcement is another attempt to award salary.’’
