ASUU chides COPSON over comments on collective bargaining

Says no threat will break resolve of members

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria (COPSON) to stop playing to the gallery and learn from their counterparts in federal universities that are impressing on Federal Government to do the needful for public universities.

The ASUU, in a statement signed by the Convener, ASUU Rapid Response, Prof. Ade Adejumo, said that no amount of threats will make the union stop fighting for quality education and welfare of its members.

The union condemned the communique issued at the end of the meeting of COPSON that the Federal Government should enforce no-work no-pay and that the centrally-agreed negotiations will not be binding on them to obey.

According to ASUU boss, COPSON needs to understand that the principle of collective bargaining is sanctioned by the law. Adejumo, who chided COPSON for saying that collectively-agreed negotiations will not be binding on them, asked them to explain “why have they not insisted that policies and directives of central regulatory bodies like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Universities Commission (NUC) and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are not binding on them?”

He maintained that “ASUU is one and that a thousand communiques and threats from COPSON cannot break resolve of ASUU members. He urged the pro-chancellors to provide evidences where they have improved the salaries and welfare of their schools but said that they “are always eager to run to Abuja to collect money from TETFUND that was brought into existence by ASUU.

He said: “These indeed are grave moments. Ominous signs on the horizon for our education system. The latest assault on the university system in Nigeria is captured by the communique released by the committee of pro-chancellors of state universities.”