The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has called on the Federal Government to fulfill its obligations by paying the outstanding salaries, promotion arrears, and other benefits owed to its members. This demand was made in a communiqué issued at the end of the union’s second National Executive Council meeting held in Benin.
According to Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, the President of CONUA, the union is concerned about the non-payment of three and a half months’ salaries to its members. It should be noted that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had embarked on an eight-month strike in 2022 to demand better funding for university education. In response, the Federal Government implemented a “no work no pay” policy, withholding seven and a half months’ salaries of all academic staff in Nigerian universities.
Although ASUU eventually reached an agreement with the government and received payment for four months’ salaries, CONUA maintains that it did not participate in the strike and should not be subjected to the same treatment. The union believes that the government’s action of lumping together those who went on strike and those who did not is unfair and punishes the innocent along with the guilty.
CONUA argues that the continued withholding of salaries from its members promotes the use of strikes as a means of achieving workers’ demands. The union emphasizes that it does not believe in industrial action as the best way to address its concerns and protect the welfare of its members.
In addition to the payment of salaries, CONUA also demands the release of third-party deductions for March to June 2022 salaries, which were withheld due to the strike. The union further calls for the payment of promotion arrears, the review of the 2014 Pension Act, and an end to discrimination by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
CONUA also highlights the need for the Federal Government to collaborate with universities to generate electricity and grant special status to universities regarding electricity tariffs. The union expresses deep concern over the hardships faced by Nigerians since the removal of the fuel subsidy in May 2023 and urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to expedite measures to alleviate the suffering of the people.
The union’s resolutions serve as a reminder to the government of its responsibilities towards university academics and the need to address the various issues raised by CONUA.
