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ASUU, ASUP, NASU Lagos chapter to begin academic activities only if new minimum wage is implemented

state government

ASUU, ASUP, NASU Lagos chapter to begin academic activities only if new minimum wage is implemented

By Admin
Academic and Non-academic unions of tertiary institutions in Lagos State have  said that  they will only begin academic  activities if  the state government pays them the new national minimum wage.

Mr Olugbenga Salami, one of the union leaders and the  Vice-Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, LASPOTECH chapter , said that  his  union would not relent in its efforts to ensure the implementation of the new  national minimum wage.

According to him, other civil servants in Lagos state have since  been enjoying the new national minimum wage.

The Lagos State tertiary institutions include: the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, the  Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu and  the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED), Ijanikin.

President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the N 30,000  new National Minimum Wage bill which became  a law on April 18, 2019.

Salami added, “All the representatives of all the unions in all the tertiary institutions in Lagos State had a  meeting with the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Labour, Mr Babatunde Williams, on Sept.8.

Also, the meeting was attended  by  representatives from the office of Special Adviser to the Governor on Education,and  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

“The agenda of the meeting was the implementation of  the new minimum wage to workers in tertiary institutions.

“After the meeting, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour assured them  that the new national minimum wage and the consequential adjustment would  be implemented but he added he could not say exactly when,” he said.

Salami said that the unions backed by the state  chapter of the NLC, thereafter, resolved that no tertiary institutions in the state should open until the government begins to implement the  new minimum wage.

“The three unions in LASPOTECH will abide by this decision.

“We, therefore, appeal to our members to stay away from their campuses from Sept.14 and awaits further directives from their unions,” he said.

Mr Ige Ajayi; the Chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) AOCOED chapter; however,  said that their members would resume  work on Sept.14 because of their peculiar situation.

Ajayi said that their peculiar situation was that AOCOED students had begun their examination before the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

“We had  congress meeting with our members yesterday and there we agreed  that we  should tarry a while because of our peculiar situation.

“We all know that we are in school because of the students, we are considering them because they had been home for more than five months.

“We want them to complete writing their examinations and move on to the next level.

“AOCOED academic board has directed that students should resume on Sept. 14 and  that their examinations will start  on Sept. 21,”he said.

Ajayi  said that their union were part of the agitation and demands for the implementation  of the new minimum wage in all tertiary institutions in Lagos state.

Mr Moruf Sanni, the Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union,LASU chapter, said that their decision after their  virtual  congress was “no minimum wage ,no resumption until government  implements the new  minimum wage”.

 Sanni said that students and staff members would not be allowed onto the campus on Sept.14.

“There is no sincerity from the government concerning the payment of minimum wage to all its staff in the  tertiary institutions in the state.

“We do not have any issue with LASU management but we want government to pay our minimum wage,” he said.

Mr Saheed Oseni, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Union of Universities, LASU chapter,  said that they would meet with their members before declaring their next step.

Oseni said that they would be having their congress meeting on Sept.14 for decisions on  the new  minimum wage.

On  her part, Funmi Sessi, the Chairman of the  NLC in the state , urged the  government to do the needful by implementing and paying all its workers in  tertiary institutions the new  national minimum wage.

Sessi said that the  NLC would support  every decision reached by the unions in  the tertiary institutions.

“Payment of the new minimum wage is long over due because other states had started paying their tertiary institutions their salaries.

“Government should stop delaying the payment of minimum wage  because it is only the  workers in tertiary institutions that have not received payment.

“NLC and all unions in all tertiary institutions had a meeting with the  Special Adviser on Labour yesterday and he said we should give them time,”she said.

Sessi  also advised that government should not rush in  reopening schools, especially in Lagos state where they had more cases of COVID-19 pandemic.

“I do not know why  the government is rushing to reopen schools. I  pray there will not be the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic after school resumption in the country”.

“Even, the  Federal Government is still taking its time to put  everything is in place before school resumption”.

“ASUU also made governments know that schools should not be reopened until the coast is  clear,” she said.

Sessi advised government at all levels to focus more on improving virtual learning for students in the state instead of  rushing to reopen schools.(NAN)