Implementation of the
agreement between the
Federal Government and
Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, may
have to be delayed as the
Chairman, Senate
Committee on
Establishment and Public
Service Matters, Aloysius
Etok, has said that the
ongoing negotiations
between the duo would be
null and void without the
input of National Wages
and Salaries Commission.
Senator Etok stated this
during an oversight tour of
the Commission. He said
that under no guise
should the Federal
Government negotiate
salary or wage increase
without the input of the
relevant commission.
He attributed most of the
incessant industrial
actions in the country to
sentimental negotiation for
salary increase in the civil
service.
He said: “We have said
this earlier that on no
account should Federal
Government negotiate
salary increase or
anything that has to do
with wages or salaries
without the input of the
Commission.
“They should avoid the
issue of sentimental
increase or negotiation
and there should be no
exceptions. Four months
is about a semester.”
Etok further stated that
the commission was
expected to have played a
prominent role in the 2009
agreement reached
between the Federal
Government and ASUU.
Questions budget
implementation
The Etok-led committee
also demanded
explanations from the
commission on how the
2013 appropriation was
implemented and why the
impact of the commission
was not felt on civil
servants salaries crises
that threaten some
sectors of the economy
from time to time.
He lamented the
withholding of part of the
2013 budget of the
commission, stressing
that the commission
required funds to carry
out its research-based
projects, calling for its
immediate release so that
the commission can
implement its budget to
the full.
He said: “The commission
might look small but the
importance cannot be
overestimated. We have
come to know your level
of im-plementation of
2013 budget.
“We also want to know the
relevance of the
commission to the Federal
Government; why your
impact is not felt in the
salary problems across
the country; why the
commission would be
there when ASUU is on
strike for months and who
guided the Federal
Govern-ment in the
agreement entered into
with ASUU in 2009?
“You cannot be ruled out
in the scheme of things in
this country.”
“They allowed ASUU
compute its own salary”
Also speaking, Chairman
of the commission, Dr.
Richard Egbule,
exonerated the com-
mission from the
agreement reached
between the Federal
Government and ASUU.
He said: “The Wages
Commission has been up
and doing in everything
concerning wages and
salaries in this country.
“When the controversial
agreement was reached in
2009, we were there but
not as negotiators. We
made it known to them
that the route they were
going was wrong. Today, I
wish to say that ASSU did
not go on strike because
of salaries because we
handled it very well.
“What is controversial was
the excess workload
allowance, but we have
asked them to employ
more lecturers to avoid
excess workload.
“There has never been a
time any agency was
asked to go and compute
its own salary, but they
allowed ASUU to do so.
We needed a structural
increase where
government agency would
be factored in.”
Egbule noted with regret
that successive
leaderships of ASUU had
established the culture of
using industrial action to
announce their arrival.
The Senate committee
visited the National
Assembly Service
Commission, where the
Chairman of the
Commission, Dr. Umaru
Fika, disclosed that N2.5
billion was appropriated to
them in the 2013 fiscal
year.
Implementation of the
agreement between the
Federal Government and
Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, may
have to be delayed as the
Chairman, Senate
Committee on
Establishment and Public
Service Matters, Aloysius
Etok, has said that the
ongoing negotiations
between the duo would be
null and void without the
input of National Wages
and Salaries Commission.
Senator Etok stated this
during an oversight tour of
the Commission. He said
that under no guise
should the Federal
Government negotiate
salary or wage increase
without the input of the
relevant commission.
He attributed most of the
incessant industrial
actions in the country to
sentimental negotiation for
salary increase in the civil
service.
He said: “We have said
this earlier that on no
account should Federal
Government negotiate
salary increase or
anything that has to do
with wages or salaries
without the input of the
Commission.
“They should avoid the
issue of sentimental
increase or negotiation
and there should be no
exceptions. Four months
is about a semester.”
Etok further stated that
the commission was
expected to have played a
prominent role in the 2009
agreement reached
between the Federal
Government and ASUU.
Questions budget
implementation
The Etok-led committee
also demanded
explanations from the
commission on how the
2013 appropriation was
implemented and why the
impact of the commission
was not felt on civil
servants salaries crises
that threaten some
sectors of the economy
from time to time.
He lamented the
withholding of part of the
2013 budget of the
commission, stressing
that the commission
required funds to carry
out its research-based
projects, calling for its
immediate release so that
the commission can
implement its budget to
the full.
He said: “The commission
might look small but the
importance cannot be
overestimated. We have
come to know your level
of im-plementation of
2013 budget.
“We also want to know the
relevance of the
commission to the Federal
Government; why your
impact is not felt in the
salary problems across
the country; why the
commission would be
there when ASUU is on
strike for months and who
guided the Federal
Govern-ment in the
agreement entered into
with ASUU in 2009?
“You cannot be ruled out
in the scheme of things in
this country.”
“They allowed ASUU
compute its own salary”
Also speaking, Chairman
of the commission, Dr.
Richard Egbule,
exonerated the com-
mission from the
agreement reached
between the Federal
Government and ASUU.
He said: “The Wages
Commission has been up
and doing in everything
concerning wages and
salaries in this country.
“When the controversial
agreement was reached in
2009, we were there but
not as negotiators. We
made it known to them
that the route they were
going was wrong. Today, I
wish to say that ASSU did
not go on strike because
of salaries because we
handled it very well.
“What is controversial was
the excess workload
allowance, but we have
asked them to employ
more lecturers to avoid
excess workload.
“There has never been a
time any agency was
asked to go and compute
its own salary, but they
allowed ASUU to do so.
We needed a structural
increase where
government agency would
be factored in.”
Egbule noted with regret
that successive
leaderships of ASUU had
established the culture of
using industrial action to
announce their arrival.
The Senate committee
visited the National
Assembly Service
Commission, where the
Chairman of the
Commission, Dr. Umaru
Fika, disclosed that N2.5
billion was appropriated to
them in the 2013 fiscal
year.
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