The Union of Academic Staff of Universities (ASUU), Michael Okpara Agricultural University, Umudike in Abia, has described the federal government’s Consolidated Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) as “one-sided”, and therefore unacceptable.
The group’s position is contained in a statement issued jointly by the union’s president and secretary, Michael Ugwuene and Paul Nwiyi, and made available to the Nigerian News Agency (NAN) in Umuahia on Saturday.
The statement is titled “Government failure: collective agreement is the way forward”.
He indicated that CONUASS granted increases of 35 percent and 25 percent of current salaries to teachers and other grades, respectively.
He argued that the review was prepared by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and presented to the FG/ASUU Renegotiation Committee led by Prof. Nimi-Briggs, without input from ASUU.
“A negotiated salary is a right, an awarded salary is potentially arbitrary and is just that: an award,” the statement added.
He further stated that none of the issues that precipitated the six-month strike, including pay, had been fully addressed.
The group frowned at the committee’s resolution to push for payment of Earned Academic Allowances to individual colleges.
He further expressed concern that instead of requesting a supplementary budget for his N170 billion revitalization pledge, the federal government decided to shift the fund to the 2023 budget.
The union, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians to appeal to the government to quickly resume and conclude the ongoing renegotiation “to allow our students to return to campus”.
