Inflation hitting our members hard, ASUU laments

.As union, FG in closed-door meeting to avert strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, chapter has called on the Federal Government to honour the agreement reached with ASUU concerning the salary structure of the university lecturers.

The union said its members were faced with many challenges that affected their productivity, noting that though they were not being owed salary, the salary they received was little compared to their needs as a result of the current inflation in the country.

The chairman of the UNIMED ASUU, Abraham Olasupo, stated this while speaking with journalists after a rally held at Ondo town, on Wednesday.

Olasupo said the government had increased electricity tariffs and fuel prices, noting that such increases should be reflected in the salary of lecturers.

He also lamented that apart from the poor salary structure that affected the academic staff, the staff are also being denied payment of the earned academic allowance.

He said, “The 2009 Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU agreement has to do with our salary structure. What we are saying about the salary is that with the present economic realities that we have on the ground, our take-home salary is not taking us home again.

“The reason is very simple. In 2015 when the administration of President Buhari started, a professor was earning $3,800 by conversion, the same professor is now earning less than $275. Every good and service in Nigeria now is dollarised. So why can’t the government also give us the equivalent of what a professor was earning?

“That is the essence of the renegotiation of what we are calling for. Since 2009, nothing has changed about the salary of university workers, we have been earning the same amount, things are very expensive and the inflation rate as of last year was between 14 and 20 per cent. As we speak now, it’s more than 45 per cent.

“If someone is still earning what he was earning when the inflation rate was very low and then now, you know the salary can not go anywhere, and we are also parents, we need to take care of our families too and that’s why we are calling on the government.”

“It’s not about giving us money, what are you giving us, is it sufficient to take care of us? does it really reflect the reality of the economy that we have? The government has done some hikes in electricity tariff and fuel pump price and they have not deemed it fit to reciprocate the same position to workers,” he added.

Olasupo noted that despite the hope the union had in the current government, the present government had allegedly refused to relate with them officially in the last one year of being in office, stressing that if such an attitude continues, the union will be forced to explore other means, including strike.

He added, “ASUU is always open to resolving issues amicably and was hopeful at the beginning, that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be favourably disposed of in addressing the pending issues, especially with the posture and utterances of Mr President that ‘strike would be a thing of the past in our system.’ Unfortunately, the same government has refused to relate with us officially in the last one year in power

“In view of this, the union has decided to take this matter to the public space once again so that Nigerians will be properly informed and will not blame us but the government because of their insensitivity, irresponsibility and non-responsiveness to the issues of university education in the country.”