Renegotiation Committee: Tensions rise as NASU, SSANU reject ‘charade’ inauguration

.Warn of potential bias against non-teaching staff

.Decry marginalisation in 2009 agreement renegotiation process

By Ukpono Ukpong

Tensions have escalated within Nigeria’s university system as the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have rejected what they described as a “charade” during the inauguration of the Renegotiation Committee for the 2009 agreements with university-based unions.

The event, which was held on Tuesday, October 15, has been heavily criticised by NASU and SSANU, who accused the government of sidelining non-teaching staff in favour of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

In a joint statement signed by NASU’s General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU’s President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the unions expressed their displeasure over the conduct of the inauguration.

They warned that the process appeared biased towards academic staff, particularly ASUU, at the expense of the non-teaching unions, who were included as mere spectators.

The unions raised concerns about the invitation letters sent to NASU and SSANU, which they noted were referenced with ASUU’s file numbers. This, according to the unions, suggested that the invitations may have originated from ASUU’s files, implying that NASU and SSANU were not taken seriously from the outset.

The unions argued that this was a clear indication of the marginalization they would face throughout the renegotiation process.

“The Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU hereby strongly expresses its displeasure and disgust at the charade witnessed today, Tuesday, 15th October, 2024 at the so-called inauguration of Renegotiation Committee of the 2009 Agreements with Universities based Unions.

“Firstly, the reference on the letters of invitation to NASU and SSANU indicated ASUU, implying that the letters originated from ASUU’s file rather than from the files of our two Unions. i.e., FME/IS/UNI/ASUU/C.II/VOL.III/165 and FME/IS/UNI/ASUU/C.II/VOL.III/166.”

Furthermore, NASU and SSANU expressed dismay over the focus of the event. They observed that the Minister of Education’s speech centered almost entirely on ASUU, with only brief and cursory mentions of the other unions. This, they claimed, reinforced their belief that their role in the process was being downplayed.

NASU and SSANU also noted that the President of ASUU was the only union leader invited to give a response on behalf of all the unions present. He proceeded to speak solely on the interests of ASUU without any consultation or inclusion of the views of NASU and SSANU.

This, according to them, further highlighted the lack of respect for the opinions and experiences of the non-teaching unions, they argued.

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The unions condemned the entire inauguration ceremony as an effort to legitimize an already concluded renegotiation exercise. They expressed fears that the renegotiation process would be heavily skewed in favour of academic staff, to the detriment of non-teaching staff who also play vital roles in the university system.

JAC warned that if the renegotiation process continued along this trajectory, NASU and SSANU would likely face unfair treatment, which could lead to significant unrest within the university system. They called on the government to address the imbalance and ensure that all unions were treated fairly and given a meaningful voice in the negotiations.

“The event appeared to have been primarily focused on ASUU with the other unions seemingly included as an afterthought as the Minister of Education’s inauguration speech centered almost entirely on ASUU, with only brief and cursory mentions of the other unions.

“To confirm our fears, at the venue of the inauguration, the two unions witnessed a most humiliating experience where the President of ASUU was placed on what was referred to as the “Responsibility table and the presidents of other unions looked on from their positions of “irresponsibility”.

“From the proceeding, it was obvious that NASU and SSANU were only invited as mere spectators to give a semblance of legitimacy and acceptability to an already concluded renegotiation exercise. That the President of ASUU alone was invited to give a response on behalf of other unions without consultation and he ended up speaking on behalf of his union this clearly showed that the opinions and experiences of other Unions do not matter in the renegotiation.

“The proceedings of the entire inauguration have clearly shown the imbalance of relationships and the obvious unfair treatment that would be meted out to NASU and SSANU if the renegotiation process continues in this manner.

“Consequently, the JAC of NASU and SSANU hereby condemns the entire charade that took place today, in the name of an inauguration as it signals a potential bias in favour of academic staff in the upcoming negotiations, to the detriment of non-teaching staff and therefore expresses our misgivings about the process of the inauguration,” the unions said.