Ngige criticizes education ministry, suggests alternative to strike

The Federal Govt has restated its motivation to the renegotiation of the disorders of company of all employees in public universities throughout the nation.

The Minister of Labour and Work, Chris Ngige, explained this when he been given associates of the govt facet of the 2009 Federal Authorities/College primarily based unions arrangement re-negotiation committee led by its Chairman, Nimi Briggs, on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Ngige stated this in a assertion signed by Endurance Onuobia, the Acting Head, Push and General public Relations, in the ministry.

The minister was speaking versus the backdrop of the ongoing strike embarked on by the Academic Team Union of Universities (ASUU).

He said that as the conciliator, he has been pushing to see that every thing contained in the 2020 Memorandum of Knowledge (MOU) signed by the authorities and the union was finished, like the implementation of the renegotiated positions.

He recalled that the renegotiation commenced in 2017 when the Federal Government inaugurated a committee headed by Wale Babalakin who was afterwards changed by Munzali Jibril, but COVID-19 struck in 2020.

The minister said that in the December 2020 arrangement, he gave the governing administration aspect a timeline to return to the college unions who are their personnel to form almost everything out.

“I started off pushing to see that points ended up accomplished. What the Munzali committee came up with is a proposal. Each Munzali and ASUU did not indication. At our very last assembly in February ahead of ASUU proceeded on strike, we said anyone should really go again to his principal.

”I questioned Education many times what they had performed with the doc. We afterwards bought details on areas of disagreement. There is nothing erroneous with that. It is certain to come about. I explained to ASUU to set up a committee, they said Munzali committee experienced expired.

“As a conciliator, I have to make use of the labour instruments at my disposal. The bosses in the Federal Ministry of Education and learning do not truly feel the strike. There are factors that are over me. I am not Minister of Education.

”I cannot go to the Education Minister and dictate to him how to run his location. But I told ASUU that you should really be bombarding them at the Federal Ministry of Education for this to be moved ahead. There are quite a few techniques to do so,” he reported.

In accordance to him, if you go to the labour act there is a thing referred to as picketing. You can picket, strike is an top matter.

“Picketing indicates that you can stay at the corridor, clapping or singing. Workers are permitted to do so. But everytime there is a disagreement, it is strike.”

“It is the little ones and some of us moms and dads that have our youngsters in public educational facilities. I have my children in public universities, including these on my foundation’s scholarship and sponsorship.

“So, I am a mum or dad. I experience it. I did not mail my youngsters to Igbinedion or Afe Babalola or Cambridge,” he claimed.

He claimed the Nigerian university technique generated him and he stays happy of it.

“Why won’t I aid if ASUU and their unions now want a renegotiation of their circumstances of provider, which is the major factor in the proposal by prior Munzali committee.”

Also speaking, Mr Briggs, who is also the Pro Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal College, Ndifu Alike, Ebonyi Condition, reported the renegotiation committee was consulting all stakeholders with a view to getting a lasting alternative to problems in dispute.
(NAN)