Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, stated that any proposed increase in salaries by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that is not in accordance with the National Salaries and Wages Commission, will not be implemented.
The minister also advised the union to work with the National Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission and the Presidential Steering Committee on Salaries and Wages to achieve the best possible results.
ASUU and the Federal Government had begun a series of talks aimed at putting the union’s four-week strike on hold.
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ASUU declared the strike on February 14, 2022, at an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Lagos, over what it claimed was the government’s failure to meet its lingering demands, which included earned allowances, the release of revitalization funds for universities, an increase in the salary scale of lecturers, and the deployment of the UTAS payment platform for university workers, among others.
Following ASUU’s declaration, religious organizations, the House of Representatives, and student bodies, among others, urged the Federal Government to persuade the union to call a halt to the strike.
Ngige told reporters on Saturday that one of ASUU’s main demands was an increase in allowances and salaries.
According to the minister, salary and allowance increases are a natural part of the job.
He stated that the demands were not new, but rather issues that the Federal Government had been addressing since last year.
That is why I stated that we are surprised that they have gone on strike.
These issues were discussed in November/December of last year, up until the time we paid the Earned Academic Allowances. It was completed last year. We forked over N22.172 billion. As a result, they have received the funds.
The second area of focus is the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. It mentions renegotiation of their working conditions, including salaries and allowances. I made it clear to them that there is a formal government procedure in place. The Federal Ministry of Education cannot wake up and raise your wages on its own.
“There are known allowance rates, and any proposal that differs from what the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission prescribed would be rejected.”
“I told ASUU that they should go the traditional route and work with the NSIWC and PSC to achieve their goals.”
So, if you’re talking about duty tour allowances for a university lecturer who is also a public officer, they can’t be more than what’s currently being rolled out as the new guideline.
If you’re talking about hazard allowance, it can’t be more than what the university system can afford.