…asks AGF to split check up dues among unions
…more unions from academic community to be registered soon – Ngige
MARGARET CHIDERA
The last of the industrial crisis in the Nigerian University system may not have been heard of as the Federal Government has formally registered and recognised the two split out unions from the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Announcing the formal registration of Congress of Nigerian Universities Academics (CONUA) and Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) yesterday in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige said he was only discharging his mandate in the management of employment relationships and the administration of trade unions to ensure harmonious industrial relations in the country.
While describing the University Sub-Sector as a major development plank of any nation’s socio economic growth, Ngige lamented that all the efforts of the federal government to restore industrial harmony in the system have been frustrated by the striking ASUU.
Speaking further, he said that the registration of two (2) more Trade Unions in the Nigerian University Academic Sub Sector will help to give the many lecturers who are willing to go back to the classroom while negotiations continue all the necessary legal backings to do that.
“In the last eight months, the classrooms in the nation’s Public Universities have been shut and students kept at home by the strike action embarked upon by the Academic staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and this ugly situation has persisted despite series of engagements to resolve the trade dispute by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education.
“In line with the provisions of the Trade Disputes Act, CAP. TS, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, this strike was apprehended and conciliations were done in this Ministry on February 22, 2022, and March 1, 2022.
“However, all efforts at conciliation failed resulting in the transmission of the trade dispute to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) for adjudication in line with the statutory trade dispute resolution processes.
“At the NICN, an Interlocutory Injunction Order was obtained asking the Union to get back to work while the substantive suit is being heard; an order ASUU leadership and members refused to obey. Interestingly, a lot of university teachers in the public universities had indicated their willingness to get back to work while negotiations continue,” Ngige justified the new bodies.
He said while the stalemate lasted, Vice Chancellors looked on helplessly and were obstructed by ASUU officials.
Explaining further, he said some medical doctors who are teachers in the various Medical Schools/College of Medicine had carried on with teaching in the Universities of Maiduguri, Bauchi, and Sokoto and had graduated their new Doctors in the midst of the ASUU strike.
“These groups of Lecturers had since been applying to have their own academic associations registered as trade Unions to organise their members because they do not share in the models, objectives, modus operandi, mission and vision of ASUU.
“They cite that under Section 40 of the Constitution they have a right to freedom of association with people sharing same academic vision and mission like minds. These newly registered Associations are: Congress of Nigeria University Academics CONUA which applied for registration since 2018 and cited irreconcilable differences as they do not believe in recurring strikes as the solution to every welfare agitation.
“They also accused the ASUU executive of non rendition of account of incomes and expenditure for years. The Ministry of Labour and Employment set up a committee to look into the merit of their application. The committee saw merit in the application and recommended approval for the registration of the Association by the Registrar of Trade Unions (RTU) since 2020.
“But for the advent of COVID-19 pandemic and the recurring ASUU Strike, this would have been done.
“Like their colleagues in CONUA, the Nigeria Association of Medical and Dental Lecturers in Academics had applied for registration as medical teachers in the University system under various groups. They include those medical doctors doing Pre- clinical teaching of basic medical courses and honorary consultants teaching clinical students in tertiary health institutions teaching hospitals.
“Due to their peculiarities which have impeded their career progression in the Universities’ system resulting in frequent and continuous agitations which had impacted an endangered species syndrome to these groups of workers/employees, the Ministry’s special committee has also recommended their registration as an Academic Union as all groups have same objectives, mission and vision,” the Minister noted.
According to Ngige, Section 3(2) of the Trade Unions Act, CAP. T14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 gives him the powers to regroup an existing trade union of workers or employers.
Ngige equally noted that, “No combination of workers or employers shall be registered as a Trade Union save with the approval of the Minister on his being satisfied that it is expedient to register the Union either by regrouping existing Trade Union. registering a new Trade Union or otherwise howsoever.
He said these Associations will exist side by side with ASUU in the Nigerian Universities in the spirit and tenets of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Core Convention nos. 87 & 98 which are respectively on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining; as well as the enthronement
He also noted that both associations are entitled to all rights and privileges accruing to such academic Association/organisation including but not limited to receiving check off dues of their members in accordance with Section 17 of the Trade Unions Act.
He went further to state that they are also to have members in the Nigerian University Pension Management Company Limited (NUPEMCO) and to be placed on CONUAS Salary Structure/Scheme, including entitled to Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) and all other allowances attached thereto.
The Minister alleged that ASUU despite bickering, experienced protests from a large majority of her members including CONUA and NAMDA members.
He also accused ASUU of non- rendering of Audited accounts since 2017 to date despite repeated requests and warnings in 2020 by the Registrar of Trade Unions (RTU) and particularly two letters of request in 2022 which is being looked into by a Special Committee of the Ministry headed by the Permanent Secretary (PS) after which the RTU will take appropriate actions aimed at preserving the integrity of our National Labour Administration System.
“The non- rendering of audited account by ASUU is an infringement on the provisions of the Trade Unions Act as stated in Section 40 on the powers of the RTU to call for accounts of Trade Unions at any time.
“Also, when ASUU finally “rushed” in an Account as had been requested, the RTU was unsatisfied as to the manner in which the account in question had been kept and prepared, the sufficiency or otherwise of existing checks against irregularity or fraud, and other caveats provided by section 41 (1) and (2) of the Trade Unions Act”.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. ‘Niyi Sunmonu, National Coordinator Congress of University Academics (CONUA) described their registration as a trade union in the Nigerian university system, as monumentally historic.
He said hurdles they faced to get here, since 2018 when they submitted their application for registration, have been seemingly insurmountable.
According to him, the registration is therefore the validation of the power of the human will. It asserts the value of courage, initiative, focus, tenacity, patience, forbearance and persistent positive thinking.
“We are immensely grateful to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, and his team of diligent staff for insisting on merit, due process and thoroughness all through the processing of our application for the registration of CONUA. The very strict and dispassionate review of our application brought out the best in the membership of the Union.
“We regard the registration of CONUA as a sacred trust, and pledge to reciprocate by devoting ourselves unceasingly to the advancement of university education in this country. We would make the details of our programmes available to the public in due course. For now, we are giving the assurance that we would work to ensure that the nation is not traumatised again by academic union dislocations in the country’s public universities.
“We are also deeply grateful to the numerous personalities and well-wishers whose good counsel and concrete actions have facilitated the success we have witnessed today. We believe in the saying that to whom much is given, much is expected. We would therefore constantly strive to make them all proud of CONUA.
“We appreciate the entire membership of the Union for believing in the righteousness of the CONUA cause and for believing in the leadership of the Union, and thereby remaining salutarily steadfast, even when disconcerting and demoralising situations arose”
Only 72 hours ago the Federal Government had accused ASUU of disobeying court orders, specifically issued to them by the National Industrial Court NIC.
Ngige in a statement on Sunday accused ASUU was deliberately taking laws into its hands by directing its members to continue with the 8-month old strike in defiance of the interlocutory injunction by the National Industrial Court (NICN) which restrained the union from further action.
He said the leadership of the union is misinforming and misleading its members and warned of consequences of contempt of court order.
All attempts to reach the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osokode to react to the formation of the new unions, including accusations earlier levelled on them by President Muhammadu Buhari of entrenching corruption within the academic system, proved abortive as calls put across to him were not been answered.
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