The Ondo State Government and labour unions across the state-owned universities on Monday reached an agreement over the wage dispute over the implementation of the new Federal Government and Varsity Unions’ wage structure and allowances.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan.
The statement said the resolution followed series of meetings between the State Government led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) in the state-owned universities.
Thefrontrank reports that the State-owned universities are currently shut down due to an indefinite strike by academic and non-academic staff unions demanding the implementation of federal government agreements and unpaid allowances.
The statement said both parties had agreed to a comprehensive resolution of all outstanding issues relating to salary adjustments, allowances and other welfare matters.
“As part of the resolutions, Aiyedatiwa approved the full domestication of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement on CONUASS for academic staff of Ondo State-owned universities, with implementation to reflect the peculiarities of the state,” it said.
The statement noted that Aiyedatiwa, who described education as a cardinal priority of his administration, assured the unions of government’s commitment to sustaining industrial harmony in the state’s tertiary institutions.
“Our administration will continue to prioritize the welfare of workers, especially in the education sector, because we understand that a motivated workforce is key to academic excellence.
“We have approved the FGN-ASUU pact for our universities because we want our institutions to compete favourably and our staff to be at par with their counterparts elsewhere,” the statement quoted the governor as saying.
It added that the state government would continue to engage all stakeholders to ensure that the state’s tertiary institutions remain centres of excellence without incessant strike actions.
“Responding on behalf of the unions, the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko chapter of ASUU,
commended the governor for approving the FGN-ASUU agreement for state universities, describing it as a bold and commendable step that will boost morale of staff,” the statement stated.
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