The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has cautioned the vice-chancellors of federal universities nationwide not to treat the disbursement of N50 billion recently approved by President Bola Tinubu to settle part of the earned allowances owed to the university workers as a union-privileged affair, saying it was released not for ASUU members alone.
The congress also raised an alarm about the alleged plan by the leadership of various universities to exclude its members from benefiting from the sharing of the approved earned academic allowances (EAA).
The national president of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, raised this concern on Monday in a statement made available to Tribune Online.
CONUA is a breakaway union from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and was duly registered as a separate organisation by the federal government during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Sunmonu, the federal government released the N50 billion to settle all the university workers and not members of one particular union or the other.
He argued that academic staff just like every other university worker, is entitled to EAA on the basis of work done and not union affiliation in the system.
Sunmonu expressed surprise as to why some university administrators, according to him have agreed with other unions, especially ASUU, to sideline CONUA members from benefitting from the ₦50 billion released for EAA.
He noted that the attention of CONUA was drawn to this practice when some universities deliberately excluded CONUA members from filling a form sent to other unions’ members to effect the payment of the money.
He cited Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, where the immediate past ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke lectures, as well as Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, as examples.
He also alleged that ASUU leadership at the national level had warned members nationwide neither to submit any form related to their EAA computation and disbursement directly to the university authorities other than to the special committee set up by ASUU for the purpose nor participate in any meeting involving any other unions on the matter, with stern warning to sanction whoever that goes against the directive.
“We have protested the action officially in written at our various chapters to vice-chancellors and bursars in those universities, but they have chosen to ignore us or unnecessarily delay treatment of our concern.
“We find these actions not only in violation of natural justice and the spirit of inclusive unionism but also in contempt of the precedent set by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) judgment in a similar incident in the past.”
According to him, CONUA wishes to draw the attention of the Federal Government, University Vice-Chancellors, and the Nigerian public to a landmark judgment delivered on 22nd July 2022 by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Yenagoa Judicial Division, which has far-reaching implications for the approval and subsequent disbursement of the N50 billion Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) by the Federal Government.
He explained that “In the suit, the Court decisively ruled in favour of a university lecturer, who was excluded from EAA disbursement on the grounds of non-membership of ASUU, affirming that such exclusion is unjust, discriminatory, and legally baseless.
“The court held that membership of ASUU is not a valid precondition for receiving EAA as EAA is an earned entitlement, not a union benefit.
“So, this judgment perfectly aligns with CONUA consistent position that no academic staff should be denied EAA simply for belonging to a different union or for choosing not to belong to any at all.
“That is why we are surprised that despite the fact that we are a registered and recognized union, we have been sidelining in matters that concern us as if we are not part of the university system.
“We therefore demand immediate and transparent inclusion of all academic staff in the EAA disbursement process, irrespective of union affiliation and also call for an end to discriminatory practices that deny CONUA members their earned entitlements.
“We, as a union remain committed to constructive engagement and lawful advocacy and we will continue to monitor compliance with the judgment and explore all legitimate avenues to protect the rights of our members across campuses,” he concluded.
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