The President, Colleges of Education Academic staff union(COEASU), Smart Olugbeko has faulted the litigation against the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its seven months long strike.
Olugbeko, in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, said the move is counterproductive.
He said that the Federal Government should join the COE teachers in the suit.
“As our ivory towers responsible for the training of our youths, the role of higher education in nation building, industrialisation and professional productivity cannot be undermined.
“Thus, ASUU deserves more respect and the highest consideration possible from government.
“The negotiations with ASUU and other unions in the education sector ought to be approached with sincerity, good faith and honest commitment to the fulfilment of the gains that may thereby arise from collective bargaining,” he said.
Olugbeko said that the bargain of ASUU was for the collective interest of all stakeholders including government and the entire Nigerian public.
He said the federal government must ensure that the struggles of unions in tertiary institutions (ASUU, COEASU, ASUP, etc.) this time, having lingered for so long, do not fail to produce tangible results that would reposition the tertiary education sector for lasting industrial peace.
“Unless the issues are resolved and the agitations are laid to rest through collective bargaining characterised by mutual respect and sincerity on the part of government, it would be tantamount to merely postponing the evil day.
“COEASU notes with dismay the abandonment of tertiary education in Nigeria and with the latest ploy of using the court to buy time with a calculated attempt to force ASUU to return to the classrooms despite the fact that there are no concrete attempts made to address their demands.
“The FG has made matters worse by enforcing the no-work-no-pay rule which is incongruent to the higher education system because the academics’ duties go beyond teaching and include research, community service and mentorship, which are ceaseless roles played even during the boycott of teaching which the strike is all about,” he said.
He, therefore, called for the urgent need to cut down public spending and reduce the outrageous bogus cost of governance for the benefit of public education which is the right of the citizens.
“We call on the federal government to suspend the no-work-no-pay rule and withdraw its suit against ASUU at the National Industrial Court.
“Government should return to the negotiation table with ASUU, but more meaningfully with honest intentions to address the issues.
“Government should be reminded that our decision (COEASU) to suspend our strike for 60 days was because of the intervention by prominent stakeholders including our Trustees and the Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who gave assurances that government would resolve all the issues within a short time.
“The 60 days ‘cooling-off period’ remains 20 days and government has not shown any seriousness in meeting the demands of our union; hence, government should be ready to take us to court too as our strike action this time will be total and indefinite,” he added.
