IGNORE ASUU'S DEMANDS, NASU, NAAT, SSANU TELLS FG

NON Teaching staff in tertiary institutions in Nigeria, have advised
the Federal Government to ignore the Memorandum of Understanding it entered into with the striking lecturers on the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, saying its implementation would lead to another...
round of crisis.
The Non Teaching Staff comprising Non-Academic Staff Union of
Education and Associated Institutions, NASU, National Association of
Academic Technologists, NAAT, and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities,SSANU rather advised government to implement the 2009
agreements it entered with the unions in tertiary institutions.
In a statement signed by Samson Ugwoke, President of SSANU and
spokesperson of NAAT, SSANU and NASU tited, 'Our stand on the on-going
ASUU strike', the unions sympathised with ASUU but noted that the MoU
was not in the best interest of the education sector.
Cross section of stakeholders at a meeting to review the ongoing
strike by ASUU held at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan
on Monday. Photo by Dare Fasube
It stated "We sympathise and solidarise with our sister union, ASUU
over their long drawn struggle for the welfare of their members. We
urged the government to build more confidence in governance, at all
times, by respecting agreements it freely enters into with unions.
"However, we caution that any settlement of the current dispute must
take into account the interests of all the university-based unions
(NAAT, SSANU, NASU and ASUU). The three Non-Teaching Staff Unions of
NAAT, SSANU and NASU are opposed to any extraneous demands by either
ASUU or any group in the university which are prejudicial to the
welfare of our members.
"Our stand is that government should jettison the so called ASUU's
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and concentrate on full
implementation of the 2009 FGN/Unions agreements which border on staff
conditions of service and welfare, and increased funding to
universities.
"The MOU being referred to by ASUU is for their selfish end and it is
bound to generate more crises in the university sub-sector.
The Non-Teaching Staff Unions in the universities will stoutly resist
any attemp t to 'sell' the universities to ASUU.
"All university based unions signed agreements in 2009 with the
government, it is therefore advised that all contentious issues in all
the agreements be settled holistically to avoid a 'relay race' in
strike actions in the universities.
"The implementation of any union's MOU should not come in between the
period of implementation of signed agreements rather, such items in
the MOU should wait to be re-negotiated in another agreement(s)."