Disband Briggs committee, SSANU tells FG

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The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, has urged the Federal Government to disband the Prof. Nimi Briggs led renegotiating committee and reconstitute an all embracing committee to renegotiate the 2009 agreement with university-based unions.

The Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Olabisi Onabanjo University branch, Adedeji Lamina, in a statement on Monday, said the Briggs Committee was trying to further cause disunity and hatred among university workers.

He said, “In line with the terms of Agreement reached with the NASU and SSANU, the Year 2009 Agreements were supposed to have been reviewed after three years. Following agitation and industrial actions demanding a review of the agreements, it was untill 2018 that the Federal Government set up the Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) committee to negotiate with the University based unions. Babalakin’s committee with unions was done concurrently. Meetings with the committee was exhaustive and deliberations were robust in terms of what real negotiation should be. But for reasons best known to Federal Government, the life of Babalakin led committee was disbanded and Munzali Jubril Committee was inaugurated in 2020.

“Let me state that for over one year that Munzali led committee was set up, it never invited the Non-Teaching unions for any meeting. Upon our enquiry, the committee maintained that their modus operandi was to conclude negotiation with one union and move to another. Until the Munzali led committee again was disbanded, it never had meeting with the NASU of SSANU negotiation team.

“In March 2022, Prof Nimi Briggs committee was constituted. The committee had two (2) meetings with the Non-Teaching unions. The unions presented Memorandum of Demands that include proposal on salary review but the committee pleaded with NASU and SSANU that the two unions should take the issue of salaries and allowances last, because they were still interfacing with the relevant Government agencies to give them appropriate offers to counter our proposal on salary review.

“It was with rude shock we learnt that Briggs Committee had allocated satanic and demonic salary increase of 10 per cent to Non-Teaching Staff as against 180 per cent increase to Teaching Staff in the University system.

“We are appealing to all good citizens of Nigeria to please prevail on Federal Government to disband Briggs Committee for trying to further cause disunity and hatred among university workers. Implementation of Briggs committee proposed satanic report or recommendation would only amount to nothing but invitation to greatest level of anarchy and industrial unrest in the University system.”

 

 

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