From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The National Labour Congress (NLC), has disclosed plans to embark on a nationwide protest on July 26 and 27 in solidarity with the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
NLC, in a letter co-signed by its National President Ayuba Wabba, and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said the protest is aimed at getting Nigeria children back to school and supporting the university based unions in fighting for quality education.
The later dated July 15 was addressed to chairpersons of the NLC in the states with the NLC Secretariat in the federal capital territory (FCT) designated as the takeoff points for the protest.
“We bring you fraternal greetings from the national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),” the letter read.
“In line with the decisions of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress held on the 30th of June 2022, we have scheduled as follows the National Days of Protest to get our children back to school and support our unions in Nigeria’s public universities fighting for quality education.
“Dates: Tuesday, 26th July 2022 and Wednesday, 27th July 2022.
Venue: All the State Capitals of the Federation and Abuja the Federal Capital Territory. Take off Point: NLC State Secretariats and the Labour House, Abuja
“You are requested to immediately convene the meetings of your SAC to disseminate this information and to fully mobilize workers in the states for this very important protest for good governance.” The later read.
The Congress in a separate statement, also faulted the federal government’s purported rejection of the Nimi-Briggs Committee report of the university based union’s negotiations.
According to NLC, the alleged action is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the ILO Convention Number 98 ratified by Nigeria and which core principle is Negotiation in Good Faith.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress is concerned about reports widely disseminated by the media both online and traditional positing that the Federal Government may have rejected its own Nimi-Briggs Committee on the premise of alleged disparity between the pay rise allocated to university teaching staff and the non-teaching staff.
“First, we wish to posit that the purpose for setting up the Nimi Briggs Committee was to conform with the fundamental principles of the rights of trade unions to collective bargaining as guaranteed by ILO Convention Number 98 which Nigeria has ratified.
“Second, we wish to point out that one of the cardinal principles of collective bargaining is the Principle of Negotiation in Good Faith. Elements of this principle includes conducting genuine and constructive negotiations, making every effort to reach an agreement, avoiding unjustified delays and complying with the agreements when they are signed by the negotiating parties.
“Since the Federal Government decided to set up the Nimi-briggs Committee to make recommendations on the review of the salaries of workers in Nigeria’s university, the negotiating unions and the Nigeria Labour Congress have been kept in the dark on the report of the Committee. It is, therefore, a shocker for us to read from the media snippets of a report of what is strictly the product of a negotiation between the Federal Government Committee and the concerned trade unions.
“Our first response is to aver that this development gravely betrays and undermines the principle of negotiation in good faith as it manifests crass disrespect by government for trade unions in Nigeria’s universities.
The Congress therefore demanded that the Federal Government immediately conclude the ongoing negotiation with trade unions in Nigeria’s universities and be prepared to commence implementation of whatever Collective Bargaining Agreement arising from it and “ immediately pay the salaries of striking university workers which had been frozen on the premise of the so-called “no work-no pay” policy especially as recommended by the leaders of Nigeria’s two major faiths.”
ASUU has been on strike for over five months due to government’s failure to honour agreements entered with the union on issues bordering on funding universities, salaries and earned allowances of lecturers.