Staff of Federal Unity Colleges throughout Nigeria have refused to resume scholastic and administrative activities despite an instruction from the Federal government purchasing schools to reopen on Monday.
The workers, under the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, preserved that their indefinite strike over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos, remained in force.
The most recent development came despite an earlier agreement in between the Federal Government and education-sector labour unions to suspend the industrial action and temporarily halt the execution of the King’s College management plan.
During check outs to some Unity Colleges in Lagos and Ibadan on Monday, members of the personnel unions were seen around school entryways, while many parents kept their children in the house in spite of the federal government’s resumption order.
The Federal Ministry of Education had, in a September 18 circular to principals of the Unity Colleges, directed schools to resume following what it referred to as an arrangement reached with the unions.
The regulation followed a September 16 meeting in Abuja at which the federal government agreed to suspend the proposed management takeover of King’s College by its Old Boys’ Association for two weeks.
The five-point arrangement reached at the conference provided for the immediate suspension of the unions’ commercial action, with the government likewise ensuring employees that they would not be victimised for participating in the protest.
The parties even more agreed to pause application of the King’s College concession for two weeks and establish a seven-member committee to examine and negotiate the contract in between the government and the Old Boys’ Association.
The withdrawal of cops workers from King’s College was also part of the resolutions.
However, the Shehu Mohammed-led faction of ASCSN turned down the position that the agreement was binding on it. The faction implicated the Ministry of Education of consequently negotiating with individuals it claimed did not have the mandate to represent the association.
The union therefore maintained that its strike would continue until the issues surrounding the concession were solved.
In a September 18 letter dealt with to mention branch chairmen, chapter chairmen, system chairmen of Federal Unity Colleges and state secretaries, the union accused the ministry of undermining an earlier arrangement reached with ASCSN and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
The union directed its members to suspend scholastic and administrative responsibilities, establish tracking groups to make sure compliance and neglect further regulations from school authorities or ministry authorities purchasing them back to work.
At King’s College, Lagos, the ASCSN chapter chairman, Sam Enang, verified that the organization had not resumed.
“We have not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have actually not cancelled the strike,” Enang informed The PUNCH.
He said the union’s position remained that employees ought to stay away from duty regardless of the ministry’s resumption directive.
“The union says an indefinite strike is on and we have actually begun that considering that yesterday,” he said.
Enang associated the continuation of the strike to what he referred to as breaches of the agreement reached between the federal government and the unions.
He declared that the implementation of cops personnel to King’s College during the earlier conflict with objecting staff breached the understanding reached with the unions.
“The Federal Ministry of Education defied the agreement of the union by sending out cops to come to the college and beat up staff and even took a staff member’s child away. That means they have actually breached their agreement.
“And also, working out with a various body, that is a breach of arrangement,” he said.
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According to Enang, personnel had been advised to stay on strike up until the scenario surrounding the King’s College concession was reversed.
He likewise stated the commercial action extended beyond King’s College to all 115 Federal Unity Colleges throughout the nation.
“All Unity Colleges, they are on indefinite strike as I’m talking with you, due to the fact that of King’s College. And this notice has gone across all 6 geopolitical zones, and the 115 Unity Colleges we have throughout the nation. No school has actually resumed,” he said.
Enang added that students did not show up at King’s College regardless of the government’s resumption instruction, attributing the advancement partly to communication in between the union and moms and dads.
“The trainees did not show up at all. They did not show up at all,” he stated.
He explained that the union had actually used its communication platforms to advise parents against sending their kids to school while the disagreement stayed unsolved.
According to him, the earlier deployment of authorities personnel to the college and the conflict involving security officers and objecting workers were among the reasons the union chose to keep the strike.
Enang said the policemen had given that left the school facilities after spending about two to three days there. He likewise alleged that parts of the school gates were harmed throughout the confrontation.
At the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos, the ASCSN chairman, Ayo Hundeyin, also verified that workers had actually not resumed.
“We have actually not resumed. The pupils are at home. We have actually not called off the strike,” Hundeyin said.
He said employees were furthermore concerned about reports of possible arrangements including other Unity Colleges, mentioning organizations in Kano, Port Harcourt and Ilorin.
“We are aware that there are similar strategies to turn over Unity Colleges in Kano, Port Harcourt, and Ilorin. The education of our children is our priority, and we won’t support any privatisation of our schools,” he said.
The dispute over King’s College started after the Federal government announced plans to concession the management of the 117-year-old institution to its Old Young Boys’ Association under a public-private collaboration arrangement.
Employees have opposed the proposal, refuting the involvement of personal interests in the management of the Federal Government-owned school.
The Federal government, however, has consistently turned down claims that King’s College is being sold or privatised, preserving that ownership of the organization remains with the government.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has actually likewise explained the King’s College plan as a standalone effort and stated it would not be reached other Unity Colleges.
“No. We’re not extending it. The government still has its responsibility,” Alausa said.
He stated the Federal government stayed devoted to directly moneying the rehab of other Unity Colleges while thinking about alternative financing choices to address their infrastructure obstacles.
Credit
:
THE PUNCH.