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Metro

Non-teaching workers decry poor funding of institutions

Non-teaching workers decry poor funding of institutions
Funding
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Dec. 3, 2019 (NAN) The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has raised an alarm over poor funding of educational systems in the country, saying `it is a major factor promoting low development and productivity’’.
The Association’s President, Mr Chris Ani, who said this at the 7th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Association in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed the need for tiers of government to reduce poverty among workers in educational institutions.
According to him, the union has played and continue to play a critical role in struggles aimed at ensuring that governments at all levels adequately fund educational, health and research institutions.
“We do this, conscious of the fact that the neglect of the funding of our public health and educational institutions is at the heart of endemic poverty among workers and the masses of this nation.
“Our public office holders are no longer concerned with the state of public health and educational institutions as they and members of their families have since lost faith in these institutions.
“They rather have resorted  to patronising private health and educational institutions at home and abroad, at great cost to taxpayers of this nation.
“Also at the heart of daily advocacy and struggles of the union are issues of improved salaries, wages, allowances and other conditions of services of our members and job security.’’
Ani noted that with the theme, “Funding Education, Health, Research Institutions and Other Social Services in a Depressed Economy: Challenges and Prospects”, more efforts were needed to implement the payment of peculiar allowances to staff of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
The president also listed other challenges to include payment of peculiarity allowance to Non-Teaching staff in Primary and Post Primary schools, Re-negotiation of the year 2009 and 2010 FGN/NASU Agreement, and implementation of 65 years retirement age for Non-research staff of Research Institutes.
He stressed that State Governments ought to implement the retirement age policy and ensure appropriate funding of National Library of Nigeria and State Libraries Boards.
On Nigeria’s economy, Ani said it remained in a state of comatose as a result of over-reliance on revenue from oil.
He also noted the need for tiers of government to fashion out and implement policies that would grow the economy and bring about real development of the nation.
“Permit me to re-emphasis what has consistently been said that Nigeria’s economy needs to be diversified and that economic policies of governments must aim at growth and development; the policies must have as its focus, the wellbeing of citizens.’’
He said Nigeria’s taxation policies should be looked into, as it appeared that workers pay more taxes than others, calling for closure of the widening tax gaps between the rich and the poor.
“The increase in Value Added Tax and the increases in the charges of withdrawals and deposits by the Central Bank of Nigeria are very provocative to a workforce that is already over-burdened with excessive Pay As You Earn tax.
“The tax system in Nigeria is not broad based as it is very clear that only workers pay taxes in this country.
“It is unacceptable that the country is ever ready to give tax concessions and tax holidays to business while increasing taxes that affect workers adversely.’’
He called on the Federal Government to stop paying lip service to the fight against corruption and develop the political will and courage to tackle the issue of corruption, while seeking out alternatives to end rising youth unemployment.
Earlier, Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Amaechi Asugwuni, noted that the constant disregard of agreements with educational unions had made the learning environment more un-conducive.
Asugwuni said that with challenges of funding in institutions, productivity level had reduced, pledging the commitment of the labour congress to continue to support the leadership of NASU in its mandate and vision of an improved system.
The deputy president called on state governments to speedy up processes to pay the national minimum wage, saying that the union, in partnership with the Trade union congress, was monitoring current efforts in all states.
Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, said there was the need for tiers of government to strengthen their institutions as a way of meeting the challenges of development.
According to him, the country has changed and the only thing that will enable us to adapt is to see that innovative ideas are available for change to occur.
“The difference between developing countries and developed countries is institutionalisation process. In developed countries, you find that over time they have learnt to create systems and institutions that outlived individuals.
“Individuals will come and go but those institutions remain and they last for thousands of years.
“As we strive towards becoming a developed country, the first thing should be more on what we create not whom we create, more on things we put in place for the future generation will see and utilise much more than what will benefit us today. Let’s begin to think longer term than just for now’’.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of award to Gov. Godwin Obaseki, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Vice Chancellor, Imo State University, Prof. Adaobi Obasi, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige. (NAN)
TAK/AMM/ETS
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Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Ephraims Sheyin

Metro

Non-teaching workers threaten to withdraw services from WAEC offices nationwide, Oct. 14

Non-teaching workers threaten to withdraw services from WAEC offices nationwide, Oct. 14

WAEC

By Tosin Kolade

Abuja, Sept. 29, 2019 (NAN) The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), members working in Nigeria offices of West Africans Examination Council (WAEC), will withdraw their services as from Oct. 14.

The General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the action, which is slated to commence on the Oct. 14, became necessary following WAEC management’s delay in responding to the union’s previous letters.

On the letters NASU listed review of scheme of service, need to create more Establishment for its members, refusal of the management to implement the policy on ex-grata

Also dichotomy of payment allowance to members Serving Council’s Meetings amongst others as its requests.

Adeyemi said none of the union’s letters to WAEC management has been responded to so far.

“I therefore express concerns about the nonchalance of WAEC management in their treatment of these important lingering issues, which could put the global campaign for decent work policy and wellbeing of workers in WAEC Nigeria in jeopardy.

“It is on this premise that your management is hereby given a period of 21 days from the date herein to positively resolve all the issues listed above.

“Failing to do this would leave the union with no other option than to direct our members in WAEC throughout Nigeria to proceed on total strike by Monday, Oct. 14.”

The letters also listed irregular recruitment of Examination Officers and incessant and unwarranted query to some union’s officers as the union’s grievances.

Adeyemi noted that though the union headquarters is reliably informed that work on re-review of scheme of service has reached appreciable level, the management’s alleged reluctance to harmonise the grey areas is delaying its approval and operation.

“In view of the importance of scheme of service in daily administration, it is highly imperative that the Head National Office (HNO), not only talk the talk but also walk the walk as he promised in one of the meetings held with NASU executive branch committee.

“Part of the agreement is to immediately set up a committee of management and NASU to work on the grey areas and come up with scheme of service that meets international standard and the yearnings of staff.”

The union said the review of scheme of service has been lingering since the year 2013 till date without any positive resolution despite the union’s favourable disposition to collective bargaining with the WAEC management on the matter.

The NASU scribe, who described the level of stagnation of officers in the Council as worrisome, said the situation is a clear case of injustice on the affected staff.

He said: “The truth of the matter is that the affected staffers are due for promotions and are also qualified but they are denied.

“I therefore call for the creation of additional Establishments to take care of the affected staff in the spirit of fairness and equity.”

NASU also flayed the decision of WAEC to neglect the implementation of the policy on ex-gratia.

“The union believes that it is improper for the payment to be stopped midway, as there is no justification to change the goal post in the middle of a game.

“The stoppage is a gimmick from the management to polarise the workers in the council. Therefore, those who were schemed out of the payment should be paid without delay,” Adeyemi stated.

NASU also decried the dichotomy of payment allowance to members serving council’s meetings.

“The dichotomy in payment of allowances to staff serving council’s meetings and conduct of examinations offshore is a great injustice which should be stopped as there is no justification for such pernicious action as what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

“Such equality and fairness should be maintained in the payment of allowances to those involved in such crucial and important assignments,” the union noted.

The union said the management should as a matter of policy look inward on the employment of Examination Officers as some staff are already trained and have qualification to assume such position.

According to Adeyemi, instead of employment of fresh hands that need to be trained in order to fit into the system, this increases productivity and reduces cost of training of retraining of new recruits.

NASU also observed the regularity of queries issued to some of the union officers noting that most of the queries are issued based on flimsy and inconsequential offences, which is a form of intimidation, targeted at witch-hunting the members of the union. (NAN)

TAK/AIJ/AFA

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Edited by Abigael Joshua/Felix Ajide

 

Metro

Universities staff wants payment of N30b allowance

Allowance
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, July 12, 2019 (NAN) The Non Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) on Friday called on the Federal Government to release the N30 billion earned allowances to Federal institutions.

Mr Samson Ugwoke, the National Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the two unions, who made the call in Abuja, said the call followed failure of the Federal Government to honour its pact in the agreement reached with the unions.

The unions had entered into an agreement with the Federal Government in 2009 on the payment of earned allowance to federal institutions.

He said the union rejected the allocation of only 20 per cent to JAC and 80 per cent to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and called for an immediate audit of accounts of universities.

“The recent sharing of money where the money collected from the ministry of education signed by the teaching director of tertiary education, allocating 80 per cent of the money to ASUU and only 20 per cent to the three non-teaching staff unions is not acceptable to us.

“We reject in total the 20 per cent allocated to our members, rather we demand from the federal government the sum of N30 billion as part of the earned allowance of non teaching staff from 2009 to 2016.

“We call on government to hasten the audit of university earned allowances, so that we will know how much is paid to who and how much remains.”

Ugwoke also said plans were on to commence a nationwide protest to demand release of the funds and setting up modalities for a re-negotiation of earned allowances from July 15.

He noted that implementation of the National Industrial Court judgement on the issue of university staff school teachers, payment of earned allowances, payment of shortfalls in salaries and funding of the university system should be paramount for effective learning atmosphere.

“JAC has approved protests from the branches, protests at the zonal levels of our unions and mother of all protests in Abuja for three days before a deadline is given to the government for the mother of all strikes that will follow.”

He also rejected the continued sideline of the non academic unions in pension fund administration by ASUU, saying what was available was an instance where university Professors would benefit more from the process.

“The National Executive Council of JAC consider the role of ASUU from the beginning of the concept of that PFA till date and found that the leadership of the non teaching staff has not been carried along.

“The way and manner from the inception to registration, constitution of board of trustees, employment have been dome by ASUU alone.

“We cannot allow our members to fund the PFA of which we are not part of, as long as the national leadership of the JAC is not involved and fully briefed and carried along in the business.”

The former Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, signed a Memorandum of the term of a settlement between the representatives of the unions and the government which culminated in the suspension of the strike in 2018. (NAN)
TAK/ESAN/IS
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Education

Students appeals to NASU, other unions to end strike

Students appeals to NASU, other affiliate unions to end strike‎
NAN-H-‎55‎
Strike‎
By Mercy Osajiugo‎‎
Lapai (Niger), Jan. 16, 2018 (NAN) The Students’ Union of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger, has called on the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and other affiliate unions to end their strike.‎
The President of the union, Mr Abubakar Mamud, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lapai on Tuesday.
Mamud said that the strike was setting the returning and new students backward as they were not able to commence their registration.
“We know that they are fighting for their right but they should realise that we have a right to be educated, we have paid our school fees but all the offices that were supposed to register us are under lock and key,’’ ‎he said.
Mamud said that according to the school Calendar that the school would commence the first semester examination in March.
“I want to sincerely use this medium to appeal to SSANU Chairman IBB University to excuse the Faculty Officers or the Academic Secretaries to attend to students on registration matters while the strike last,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Adams Suleiman, a 100 level student of Biology Department, said “this SSANU strike is really affecting us, as you can see we have been queuing here in our numbers but nobody is attending to us. ‎
“If they delay in calling off the strike it will affect our performance during the first semester examination because the time we would use in studying and revising for our examination we would be using it for registration’’.‎
Also speaking, Mr Mustapha Adamu, a 400 level Geology student, said that the strike would invariably take its toll on student especially on final year students who will be writing their project.
The ‎News Agency of Nigeria reports that the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Academic of Universities (SSANU)‎ have grounded administrative activities at the institution. (NAN)
MNO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola