ONDO State Government and tertiary institution unions have reached an agreement on the implementation of the new Federal Government and university unions’ wage structure and allowances.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan.
The agreement followed a series of meetings between officials of the state government, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the leadership of labour unions in the state-owned universities.
According to the statement, the unions involved in the meeting include; Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).
Academic and non-academic unions in the three Ondo state-owned universities are currently on a total and indefinite strike over unpaid allowances of members.
The statement said the meeting addressed outstanding issues relating to salary adjustments, allowances and other welfare matters affecting workers in the state-owned universities.
It added that a major resolution was the approval by Aiyedatiwa for the full domestication of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement on the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) for academic staff of state-owned universities.
According to the statement, implementation of the resolution will take into account the peculiarities of the state.
During the meeting, Aiyedatiwa described education as a cardinal priority of his administration with a promise to the unions of his commitment to sustain industrial harmony in the state’s tertiary institutions.
“Our administration will continue to prioritise the welfare of workers, especially in the education sector, because we understand that a motivated workforce is key to academic excellence.
“We have approved the FGN-ASUU pact for our universities because we want our institutions to compete favourably and our staff to be at par with their counterparts elsewhere,” the statement read.
It said that the government would continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that the state’s tertiary institutions remained centres of excellence without incessant industrial action
According to the statement, the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko chapter of ASUU, while speaking on behalf of the unions, commended Aiyedatiwa for approving the FGN-ASUU agreement for the state universities. (NAN)
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org