The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said it is open to considering the 100 percent pay rise being proposed by the Federal Government. The union however said the government was yet to reach out on the new pay offer.
A former President of ASUU, Dr Nasir Fagge, stated this during a briefing jointly addressed by ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke at its National Headquarters in Abuja.
It has been reported exclusively plans by the Federal government to increase the pay of university teachers by 100 percent following the alleged 180 proposals suggested by the Nimi Briggs Committee renegotiating the 2009 agreements with university unions.
Fagge said the union was waiting for the government to give approval to the Briggs committee to sign the draft agreement reached with ASUU.He said: “We have negotiated with a duly mandated committee that is appointed by government and we have reached draft agreement.
“We are waiting for this committee to get the final nod of Federal Government to come and sign off this agreement and commence implementation.
“However, the 100 percent pay rise proposal is not before us. If it has this proposal it knows the channels through which it will forward it to us and at that point we will look at it and decide appropriately.
“We started this process in 2017 when there was a problem with the Wale Babalakin committee. Government itself removed him and replaced him with another (Prof Jubril Munzali committee). We reached an agreement but the government said it had a problem with that agreement. They reconstituted the committee again led by Nimi Briggs and we have concluded this system. All we are waiting for is the final consultation with those that gave the two parties the mandate to negotiate.
“Once that final consultation is concluded if the draft agreement is okay for the two principals these two principals will give the go-ahead for the signing of the agreement.”
Prof Osodeke said the union would not be subjected to blackmail by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. He also said the government doesn’t need two weeks to end the strike.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, mandated the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, alongside his counterparts to end the lingering strike. Buhari gave the minister two weeks to end the strike. But Osodeke insisted that the union would call off the strike once the government agree to sign the re-negotiated 2009 agreement.
Speaking in Abuja, Osodeke said: “We will not be subjected to the blackmail of the minister of labour. Ngige has continued to blackmail us by churning out lies.
“They stopped our salaries thinking they will make us go back to work. Let them sit down as directed by the President.