Strike: FG issues certificate of registration to CONUA, NAMDA

. Gazettes both unions to operate alongside other varsity-based organisations

.Set to pay ASUU’s rival unions 8 months withheld salary

.CONUA, NAMDA illegal groups in varsity system, can’t be accorded recognition — ASUU

By Ukpono Ukpong

To conclude the process of unbundling the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Federal Government yesterday presented certificates of registration to Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).

Presenting the certificate on behalf of the Federal Government, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said both unions were now officially recognised and have been empowered to fully operate alongside other university-based unions within the nation’s Tertiary institutions.

He made the presentation in his office, where he noted that both unions have been officially gazzetted, hence entitled to all labour rights as enshrined in the International Trade Unions Convention (ITUC).

The Minister gave indications that the Federal Government is working out modalities to ensure the payment of withheld salaries for the period ASUU strike lasted to CONUA and NAMDA members.

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This is as the minister explained that withholding their salary alongside with that of ASUU would amount to injustice because they never partook in the industrial action in the first instance.

Ngige also noted that the alleged lack of democracy, transparency and failure to render proper account of check off dues by ASUU both to her members and the government culminated in grievances that spurred considerations for registration of CONUA and NAMDA.

He said the gazzetting and certificate presentation were in conformity with section 3:2 of the International Trade Union Convention.

“Trade unionism is for workers and employers of labour to organise themselves and it’s a voluntary act.

“Prior to 2020, CONUA had approached the Ministry complaining of lack of democracy, transparency in the leadership of ASUU, especially in rendering proper account of their check-off dues remitted from government.

“Based on these grievances, the Ministry decided to register the members of CONUA to operate as a full-fledged union for which we have issued a certificate of registration and gazzetting which is part of section 3:2 of the ITU.

“Unbundling is not new, the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) NEPA and NNPC have been unbundled”.

Meanwhile, CONUA President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, corroborated Ngige, stressing that the alleged high handedness of ASUU’s leadership gave birth to the Association.

According to him, now that CONUA have been given official backing through the presentation of certificate, the era of incessant strikes in the university system was over.

He however protested the continued remittance of her members’ check-off dues to ASUU, praying the Minister of Labour to intervene to reverse the trend going forward.

Sunmonu said: “Today is a Historic Day and it is exciting to be back to this great Ministry in conclusion of the final phase of the registration of CONUA, which is marked by the collection of Certificate. We appreciate the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, and his remarkable team for finalising the registration of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) with the issuance of the certificate of registration of the Union to us today.

“In CONUA, our primary purpose at all times has been to promote the welfare of our members, while being constantly conscious of the overriding national interest.

“With this complete registration, we assure Nigerians that we shall embark on meaningful and realistic discussions and negotiations with the Federal Government and all other stakeholders on how we can get a better deal for University lecturers and indeed for better working of the entire system without necessarily rocking and sinking the boat.

“Minister, ever since CONUA was registered, many Nigerian University Academics were liberated from the bondage of ASUU. There has been a breath of fresh air in the system, that is now ventilated with the air of freedom. Freedom of association and freedom of choice across the ideological divides. One important implication about the registration of additional academic unions by the Minister, is that there may never be a total shutdown of our Universities again ever!

“Because the peculiarities of many academics in the system are different, the ideologies are also different hence the different unions would always approach things differently at all times. This is noteworthy.

“But, one issue that has been of concern to our members is that ASUU, through subterfuge, has illegally caused the check-off dues of CONUA members to be paid to ASUU for some months through the IPPIS office. This inappropriate remittance to ASUU was reflected on payslips of CONUA members for the affected months.

“The President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, implicitly admitted this financial travesty which was perpetrated about three years after CONUA had been formed and members had expressly written to the appropriate authorities to stop remitting our check-off dues to ASUU. It is important to note that the stoppage was appropriately effected, before ASUU unethically manipulated the IPPIS office to resume the deduction.

“An issue that is of even greater concern to the members of CONUA is the continued withholding of salaries of CONUA members in connection with the eight-month-long ASUU strike of 2022. Since CONUA neither declared nor joined the strike, it is unjust to withhold our members’ salary”.

To buttress his point, he said that provision of Section 43(1b) of the Trade Disputes Act CAPTE says “where any employer locks out his workers, the workers shall be entitled to wages and any other applicable remuneration for the period of the lock-out and the period of the lock-out shall not prejudicially affect any rights of the workers being rights dependent on the continuity of period of employment.”

“In other words, there is no moral nor legal basis for the “No Work, No Pay policy to be applied to CONUA members, because we were only unable to perform our full duties due to the lock- out arising from the shutdown of the universities by university authorities who directed students to vacate the campuses.”

Meanwhile, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, has dismissed the registration of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical Doctors in Academics (NAMDA), saying they were inconsequential and of no effect in the Nigerian university system.

He described the presentation of certificate of recognition to both CONUA and NAMDA by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, as the government’s plan to silence ASUU, vowing that government would not succeed.

According to him, the two newly registered university academic unions were illegal and such, should not be accorded any recognition in whatever circumstance by anybody.

Reacting to the presentation of certificates to the unions to operate under the nation’s Trade Dispute Act and the Trade Union Act by the minister on Tuesday, Osodeke, who said ASUU was not aware of the development, said the two unions were illegal and have no place to operate in the nation’s university system.

He wondered why the Federal Government was making the presentation of certificates to the newly registered unions a media affair unlike the registration of existing academic unions some years ago.

“Well, we are not aware of the existence or presentation of operational certificates to the illegal groups. And if the federal government did that, it means they have something to hide, because if they don’t have anything they are hiding or politics they are playing, when other unions were registered, did they call the press or did they make it an issue?

”So it’s like they are trying to fight ASUU but it would never work. We don’t want to make so much noise because we are already in court with the minister, we are in court on the case of registration of those unions. We are already in court, so we don’t want to speak on that.

“We are already in court challenging the creation of such illegal unions in the university system, so we don’t want to be speaking on a case that is already in court,” he said.

Asked if ASUU would accord recognition to the newly registered university academic unions, the ASUU boss said, “Why should we accord recognition to illegal groups?”

”Anyway, we don’t want to talk about it, let the court decide”, he added