NLC Meets Tertiary Institutions Unions, Gives FG 4 Weeks Ultimatum
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given the Federal Government four weeks to conclude negotiations with all tertiary institutions-based unions.
This comes after a landmark meeting on Monday uniting all unions within the nation’s tertiary institutions under one formidable platform of solidarity and collective action.
The meeting, which was presided over by the Congress President, Joe Ajaero, brought together all academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to harmonize their concerns, align their common and peculiar demands, and forge a unified strategy to compel government action.
Central to the discussions was the urgent call for the Federal Government to demonstrate good faith by fully respecting and implementing all existing Collective Bargaining Agreements entered into with the various unions.
The NLC emphasized that education must be treated as a public good, a right for all and not a privilege for the few.
NLC President told journalists that the umbrella labour body would take further action if the Federal Government failed to resolve all issues it has with the various unions within four weeks.
Ajaero said, “We have decided to give the federal government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. They have started talks with ASUU but the problem in this sector goes beyond ASUU.
“That is why we are extending this to four weeks. If after four weeks this negotiation is not concluded, the organs of the National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet and take a nationwide action that all workers in the country, all unions in the country will be involved so that we get to the root of all this.
“The era of signing agreements, negotiations and threatening the unions involved, that era has come to an end.
“The the so-called policy of no work, no pay, will henceforth be no pay, no work. You can’t benefit from an action you instigated. We have discovered that most, 90% of strike actions in this country are caused by failure to obey agreements.”
Recall that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on a two-week warning strike after government failed to meet some agreed demands.
Other unions in the tertiary education sector have also put government on notice to either fulfill agreements signed between them or risk industrial action.
