By Idris Auwal
The Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has stressed the need for President Bola Tinubu to expedite action towards alleviating the excruciating hardship in the country as a result of various reforms of the administration.
The Union also described as illegal the refusal of the federal government to pay its members three months’ salary despite the union’s non-participation in the industrial action declared by its sister union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
A statement issued by CONUA’s President, Dr ‘Niyi Sumonu on Saturday disclosed that since the fuel removal and naira floating policies of the present administration, Nigerians have been going through a very difficult time with urgent intervention.
“The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has, again, reviewed the state of the nation and noted the excruciating pains Nigerians have been going through as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy since 29th May 2023 and the subsequent policy of floating the Naira.
“The union further notes that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has assured the nation that a series of measures are being put in place to alleviate the suffering of the people. CONUA urges the President to expedite action on those measures, particularly the announcement of a commensurate minimum wage that will cushion the effect of this untold hardship being currently experienced by the citizens”, it stated.
The union also described as illegal the continuous withholding of its members three months salary occasioned by the strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in 2022, saying its members never participated in the said industrial action.
It reads further, “the Union wishes to once again call the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) to the continued withholding of the three and a half months salary due to the strike action embarked by a sister academic staff union in the Universities. CONUA, as a Union has consistently maintained that it never declared and was not part of the strike action.
“What the government had done was to lump together those who embarked on strike with those who did not! This is unjust, and is tantamount to punishing the innocent along with the guilty. The Federal Government’s action actually goes against the judgment delivered on 25th July, 2023 at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), which affirmed CONUA as an independent Union”.
“The President should note that withholding the three and a half months salaries of members of CONUA, who neither declared nor participated in any strike action, contravenes Section 43 (1b) of the Trade Disputes Act CAP. T8, which states that “where any employer locks out his workers, the workers shall be entitled to wages and any other applicable remunerations for the period of the lock-out and the period of the lock-out shall not prejudicially affect any rights of the workers being rights dependent on the continuity of period of employment”.
“This provision is consistent with global best practices. In conclusion on this, CONUA demands that failure to process and pay this outstanding salary could throw the Universities into serious crises and the peace, currently being enjoyed could be jeopardized”.
CONUA further urgent the President Tinubu to pay attention to the remuneration of academics in the university which has been stagnant since 15 years ago despite the steady rise in the cost of living and demanded an adjustment in the emoluments of lecturers with a view to bringing the best out of them.
“The Union wishes to call the President’s attention to the remuneration of academics that has remained virtually stagnant since 2009 in spite of steady rise in costs of living. Even though, the Federal Government recently implemented the payment of 35% and 23.5% salary increment for staff of tertiary institutions, its arrears of one-year remains unpaid till this moment.
“CONUA is therefore using this medium to demand for the constitution of a negotiation committee, without further delay, that will enter into negotiations with all academic unions in the university.
“This is with a view to reviewing upwards the emoluments of academics in Nigerian Universities while taking into account the current realities created especially by the fuel subsidy removal. Financially debilitated, psychologically challenged and dispirited lecturers cannot be expected to concentrate on their mentally-tasking and physically-exhausting tasks of teaching, research and community service which constitute the mandate of academics.
“This point is particularly quite critical in the light of the unprecedented developmental challenges, which are being created and will be created by the innovative measures that are being put in place by the Tinubu administration”, it added.