Allow States To Negotiate Wages, Pro-Chancellors Urge FG

THE Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities has
called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities to de-emphasise
the use of strikes as a means of negotiation with the Federal
Government.

Members of the committee made their position known in a
communiqué made available to journalists on Sunday at the end of
its 52nd quarterly meeting held in Abuja.

The committee chaired by Yusuf Alli (SAN), also stressed the
need for the removal of labour and wages from the exclusive list to
allow state governments exercise appropriate control over their
workers.

It read, “Worried by the instability in the academic calendars
of state universities fostered by incessant strikes by the academic
and non-academic staff unions, the committee appealed to the
Academic Staff Union of Universities to de-emphasise strikes as the
major tool of negotiation with the Federal Government.

“While observing that the disruption of the academic calendars
has adversely affected the quality of the nation’s universities,
their products and research outputs, the committee said the core
values of education had been negatively impacted by the instability
in the university system resulting in falling standards.

“The structure and operation of the country’s federalism about
public institutions established and owned separately by the federal
and state governments under different laws have been a major
problem of state universities.

“State governments should be allowed to negotiate wages with
their workers; the committee stated that the rights of trade unions
to demand for welfare of its members should be based on
employer-employee relationship.”

THE Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities has
called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities to de-emphasise
the use of strikes as a means of negotiation with the Federal
Government.

Members of the committee made their position known in a
communiqué made available to journalists on Sunday at the end of
its 52nd quarterly meeting held in Abuja.

The committee chaired by Yusuf Alli (SAN), also stressed the
need for the removal of labour and wages from the exclusive list to
allow state governments exercise appropriate control over their
workers.

It read, “Worried by the instability in the academic calendars
of state universities fostered by incessant strikes by the academic
and non-academic staff unions, the committee appealed to the
Academic Staff Union of Universities to de-emphasise strikes as the
major tool of negotiation with the Federal Government.

“While observing that the disruption of the academic calendars
has adversely affected the quality of the nation’s universities,
their products and research outputs, the committee said the core
values of education had been negatively impacted by the instability
in the university system resulting in falling standards.

“The structure and operation of the country’s federalism about
public institutions established and owned separately by the federal
and state governments under different laws have been a major
problem of state universities.

“State governments should be allowed to negotiate wages with
their workers; the committee stated that the rights of trade unions
to demand for welfare of its members should be based on
employer-employee relationship.”