The Federal Government, on Tuesday, directed the newly registered Unions to commence teaching immediately.
This is coming after the Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige disclosed that two new unions of lecturers have been registered.
The two unions: Congress of Nigerian University Academics (CONUA) and Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA).
According to Ngige, the Unions were registered after due consideration following series of letters written to the Ministry of Labour and Employment by the lecturers who made up the two new unions.
He said the lecturers had in the letters complained of ASUU’s maltreatment and further declared their interest to break away from their parent union.
Ngige, who made this known in his office in Abuja when he played host to the two unions, said that the Trade Union Act empowers him to regroup existing labour and pensioners’ unions.
He also noted that the unions applied for registration in 2017 and 2018 respectively, even as he insisted that the registration of the two unions doesn’t mean that ASUU no longer exists or that it will not enjoy its due rights.
“These associations will exist side by side with ASUU in the Nigerian universities in the spirit and tenets of International Labour Organisation (ILO) core convention. They are accordingly entitled to all rights and privileges accruing to such academic association/ organisation including but not limited to receiving check-off dues of their members,” Ngige said.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, who had been advocating for registration of CONUA as a trade union just like ASUU, said such development would break the monopoly being currently enjoyed by ASUU.
He had noted ASUU’s consistent strike has caused more harm than good in the university academic system. He accused ASUU of using strike as only tool to resolve its issues with the government, saying such development must stop, while adding that there were many ways of resolving issues.
