The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has reaffirmed its commitment to concluding ongoing negotiations with the Federal Government on allowance parity with its counterparts in the university system.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Switzerland, during the just-concluded 114th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), which ended on Friday, NASU General Secretary, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, stressed that workers deserved fair treatment and equitable compensation in line with prevailing economic realities.
NASU is seeking equal allowances with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in its ongoing discussions with the Federal Government.
Adeyemi argued that the union’s demand for parity was justified following the Federal Government’s approval of a 40 per cent increase in allowances for ASUU members.
According to him, NASU members perform essential functions within universities and should not be treated differently in the distribution of welfare benefits and negotiated entitlements.
“We are demanding that whatever is given to ASUU should also be given to us because we face the same economic realities,” Adeyemi said.
He disclosed that NASU had rejected an earlier government offer of a 30 per cent increase in allowances, maintaining that it fell short of what had been granted to ASUU.
“The government offered us 30 per cent and we said no. Although they are our senior colleagues, we all go to the same markets and buy the same fuel.
“Landlords and service providers do not discriminate between academic and non-academic workers when determining rents and charges.
“The cost of living affects all workers equally. We cannot accept a situation where one group receives significantly better allowances than another,” he added.
The NASU General Secretary noted that negotiations with the Federal Government had made substantial progress and were approaching conclusion at the university level.
He explained that the outcome of the university negotiations would also shape discussions covering polytechnics and colleges of education, where NASU represents workers.
“We are almost at the end of the renegotiation process for universities. Once we conclude that, negotiations in the other sectors may not be as difficult,” he stated.
Adeyemi also expressed concern over delays in implementing agreements reached with unions, warning that such actions often trigger industrial disputes across tertiary institutions.
He emphasised that sincere collective bargaining remained vital to industrial harmony and urged government representatives to negotiate in good faith.
“When agreements are freely entered into, they should be implemented. Failure to do so only creates avoidable crises in the education sector.”
Adeyemi expressed optimism that the ongoing negotiations would produce positive outcomes that would enhance the welfare of non-academic staff in federal tertiary institutions across the country.
