THERE is no sign that the current indefinite industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will end soon as the Federal Government on Friday said it could only afford 40 per cent pay rise as against the 109 per cent demanded by the varsity teachers, among other things.
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Also, indications emerged in Abuja on Friday that the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) may eventually join their colleagues in the indefinite strike action, as the union has rejected the Federal Government's offer of a paltry salary increase.
The position of the Federal Government was made known by the Chairman, FGN/ASUU Re-negotiation Team, Mr. Gamaliel Onosode, at a news conference held at the National Universities Commission (NUC), though ASUU boycotted the meeting with the Federal Government's negotiation team, where this final offer was to be made known to them.
With the new development, the Federal Government has asked ASUU to go back to finalise their agreements with their governing councils in line with the principles of university autonomy which the Federal Government announced earlier as part of the demands of the union.
Onosode explained that the provisional agreement reached between ASUU and the government's negotiation team for a salary increase for university lecturers was initially thought out as a way of curbing brain drain in the system but that did not go down well with the government considering the present economic realities.
He said the 40 per cent was what the government could pay and sustain and that the rest of the negotiations now should be held by the unions with their various institutions, pointing out that a bill was already before the National Assembly to amend the act of the Education Trust Fund (ETF) to take care of the issue of funding.
This, according to him, would allow the ETF to specifically focus on improving the university infrastructure and instructional facilities as well as staff development.
"Already, the issue of university autonomy and 70 years age of retirement have been granted," he said.
By Clement Idoko
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