Strike or Industrial Action, in whatever perspective it is defined, foretells the existence of a depressing relationship between and among employers, employees and the beneficiaries of whatever utility, goods or service designed to be provided or delivered.
Therefore, Industrial action is basically an open display of dissatisfaction by employees against bad and discouraging inhuman working conditions that is capable of depriving workers of any form of motivation, encouragement and hope. It could also be as a result of slave-like labour that is oppressive in every nature.
This however, is one of the reasons while International Labour Organisation (ILO) recognises strikes as a major instrument that guarantees and advances the rights to collective bargaining across the globe.
In the case of the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria today, public Education and the health sector have become major casualties essentially difficult to remedy in the context of the above definition and progressive negotiation. This, no doubt is why brain drain, low productivity and incessant strikes have become very pervasive across major sectors of the country, ranging from education, health, petroleum sector, and many more.
To check these unwarranted anomalies in the area of massive brain drain for example, and the desire to produce universally competent graduates as well as effectively tackle the need for efficient and global standard workforce across Nigeria, ASUU and many other critical stakeholders have intermittently and consistently challenged the Nigerian government to continue to provide the necessary funds, prioritise infrastructure and competent policies, not just in the Education sector alone, but also in the health and all other aspect of national life.
To this very end, the economic well being of Nigeria, the plight and dissatisfaction of the human populace, particularly the students and family members shouldering the responsibility for payment of tuition and other financial commitments, have continued to suffer as long as the impasse has remained incessant. This has therefore left many to continue to crave for greener alternatives outside the shores of this country.
In the last few years for example, thousands of qualified Academic and Health personnel have transited our borders to better their economic needs and the potentials of their immediate family. And the number is still scaling up the graph.
The inconsistent infliction emanating in this regard and the regular industrial disagreement over the years, have continued to dispirit critical stakeholders and the hopes of service providers and the dynamic workforce, such as lecturers, doctors, nurses and other professionals. It has also greatly affected the trust and commitment by both genuine and potential investors in the Nigerian system.
It is imperative therefore, to emphasise that the prevailing strike situation in Nigeria today, will certainly not motivate any student or family for instance, so long as the system tends to ingeniously stagnates intellectual ambition, liquidate economic vibrancy and other critical and legitimate derivable objectives; due to regular disregard to resolutions, persistent disagreements and lack of provision of basic and adequate resources to enhance collective well being of the people and their global rating?
To reconcile these entanglements, ASUU has stoutly demanded the revitalisation of university education, discontinuance of Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS), as the payment system in the universities and the payment of promotion and salary arrears, particularly as it affects Education.
They have also consistently accused the FG of non-seriousness as well as insisting that the government is trivialising such an essential challenge as public education. ASUU has further blamed the Federal Government of levity in handing education, rather than entrenching policy system that can prioritise all critical sectors in the country. They implied that the major areas of disagreement, which is IPPIS, can appropriately be replaced with the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS), in addition to adequate funding of the sector.
Reiterating these demands, the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige recounted that the 2020 December Agreement with ASUU is rightly on course in terms of implementation. He emphasised that the Federal Government had so far paid over N92 billion as Earned Allowances and revitalisation fees to federal-owned universities across the country.
According to Ngige, N30 billion was also budgeted and paid for revitalization late last year. He added that N22.127 billion was agreed also in that December agreement, to be paid from the supplementary budget as Earned Allowances for 2021. In his words, the implementation of the agreement is on course.
On the controversial issue of introducing the University Transparency and Accountability Solution payment platform as preferred by ASUU instead of government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, the minister held that the matter would be revisited and therefore presented a new proposal towards permanent resolution of the ASUU industrial impasse.
Looking through the positions of both ASUU and the Federal Government, they appeared determined and positive towards the betterment of the Education system and resolving the present challenge in the country. Going by this positivism, the stakeholders must be mutually respectful and be strategically disposed not just because of win-win compromise, but for the sake of our students and the Nigerian society.
Good Education system anywhere in the world is a knowledge fountain. It can help to engage the active youths and take many out of the idle predicament. Education can help to sequentially build society far more than anyone can imagine. The roads, bridges, technology, interpersonal relations, science researches and methods of achieving designed objectives are all derivable from a well co-ordinated knowledge driven education system. In the case of Nigeria we are always overwhelmed by lack of funds and lack of motivation as a result of rambling education and a pitiful policy system.
Our education system now seems to be solely theorised, practically disjointed and academic calendars unjustly elongated with no deliberate strategic policy for training experts who can evolve the science, technology and manufacturing industry.
It is therefore pitiable that Nigeria with about 43 Federal and 48 States’ universities, still struggle to survive with borrowed technologies. This is pathetic to the extent that we cannot even think of Engineering faculties and other related departments and their professors for example, providing home-grown serviceable energy in terms of solar power and accessories in their faculties, manufacture global standard machines or provide much needed water resources or technology to energise their departments. This is bad enough and it needs to change.
While the Government on its part must start to lay broad policy guidelines that can consistently enhance education and improve industrial relations, it must also engage policy experts, supervisors and implementers to guarantee mutual trust, confidence and universal harmonious relationship. The unions on their part must exercise some understanding, just as they must effectively control the activities of the militant few who occasionally stampede members into industrial actions even when the employer is genuinely anxious to reach a collective advantage.
The government as a matter of importance, must learn to honour, implement and keep to the terms of agreements as collectively resolved. Government should always promptly review, negotiate and implement collective agreements in line with international consensus concerning improvements in general working conditions, rights to freedom and collective bargaining.
Only in this respect shall the reality of collective bargaining truly manifest as the viable and practical means of ensuring harmonious peace in the Country.
