ASUU/FG Re-negotiating Team Adjourns

The resumed re-negotiation between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government adjourned yesterday to reconvene on Thursday morning.
Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, who briefed the Minister of Education, Dr Sam Egwu , yesterday, along with the Chairmen of the Federal Government�s negotiating teams with the academic staff unions of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education disclosed this.

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�We made significant progress today to the extent that the Federal Government�s offer has been presented to the union and we hope to have appropriate response from them by Friday, � he said.
Chairman of ASUU/FG re-negotiating team, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, said �at the resumed negotiation yesterday, I think the most important single issue that had bothered (ASUU) was what they thought was Federal Government�s repudiation of the principle of collective bargaining. By the time we concluded the meeting, we had, I think, successfully explained that government did not repudiate the principle or the process of collective bargaining. But rather, its position, which, admittedly, was stated outside the negotiation, was that the collective bargaining should be continued and concluded at a different level, the individual university level. That is the employer- employee level. The employers of ASUU are strictly the council.�They did not find this amusing. Because, they feel, if government thought it should be concluded at a different level, it should have started at that level.
In the mean time, the law under which federal universities operate has since been reviewed, reference to the miscellaneous provisions amendment act of 2003, which was gazzeted in 2007.

"At the time the negotiation re-started, university councils did not have the kind of autonomy they now enjoy under the law. In law, the employers of academic and non academic staff are university council. That was the reason why the Federal Government said the negotiation which started in December 2006 should be concluded at the university level. The question that needs to be disposed of is, yes, the law has changed but should it change a process that was almost completed or should it just be noted so that it can apply to future negotiations?

"We hope we can find a definitive response from government. But I think the compromise which they seem to be seeking is that the current process of collective bargaining at the level at which it was started, at the national level, should be allowed to be concluded, provided the agreement makes it clear that in future, negotiations of that sort, collective bargaining would be at the strictly employer � employee level.�We have set up a committee made up of representatives from both sides, to look into the provisional draft agreement to see what adjustments need to be made to make it acceptable to the federal government. We have adjourned till Thursday morning in the hope that between now and tomorrow (Wednesday) night, we might have some development along those lines�, Onosode concluded."When contacted, ASUU President, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, referred the reporter to Onosode as the chair of the negotiation. �The discussions are not for daily reporting in the papers. All that we want is a quick resolution of the matter so that children can go back to school, � he said.