The Ondo State Government has approved the full implementation of the Federal Government-ASUU wage agreement for academic staff in the state-owned universities.
The approval followed a series of meetings between the state government, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and the leadership of tertiary institution unions over outstanding salaries, allowances and other welfare issues affecting university workers.
Ebenezer Adeniyan, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.
The unions involved in the discussions were 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).
A major resolution reached at the meeting was the approval of the full domestication of the Federal Government-ASUU agreement on the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) for academic staff in the state’s universities.
The statement said the implementation would take into account the peculiarities of Ondo State.
The development comes as academic and non-academic unions in the state’s three government-owned universities had embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid allowances owed to their members.
Aiyedatiwa said the approval was part of his administration’s efforts to improve workers’ welfare and sustain industrial harmony in the state’s tertiary institutions.
“Our administration will continue to prioritise 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,” he said.
The governor also assured the unions that the government would continue to engage stakeholders to resolve outstanding issues and prevent recurrent industrial disputes in the state’s tertiary institutions.
The government said it remained committed to ensuring that the state’s universities and other tertiary institutions remained centres of excellence without incessant industrial action.
The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko chapter of ASUU, which spoke on behalf of the unions, commended the governor for approving the implementation of the FGN-ASUU agreement in the state-owned universities.
The unions and state government are expected to continue discussions on the implementation of the agreement and other outstanding welfare issues affecting workers.
