The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government (FG) has finally been signed, bringing an end to months of negotiations.
The agreement was signed yesterday in Abuja with President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Professor Christopher Piwuna who signed on behalf of the Union and Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed representing the Federal Government.
The agreement is expected to address key issues such as working conditions, institutional governance, and staff welfare, and is expected to improve the overall quality of education in Nigerian universities.
One of the major highlights of the agreement is the grant of full autonomy to universities, including adherence to existing laws governing Senate, Governing Councils, and internal regulations. This means that universities will have the freedom to make decisions on academic and administrative matters without external interference.
The agreement also provides for an improved needs-based budgeting system for Nigerian universities, covering critical recurrent and capital components. This is expected to address the funding challenges faced by universities and enable them to provide better facilities and services for students and staff.
In terms of salaries, the agreement provides for a salary structure comparable to the Nimi Briggs Committee recommendations, with automatic increases whenever public sector wages are reviewed. This is a significant victory for ASUU, which has been pushing for better pay and working conditions for academic staff.
The agreement also includes provisions for earned allowances, with universities required to make annual payments equivalent to 12% of academic staff wage bill, funded through yearly budgetary allocations. This is expected to boost the morale of academic staff and improve their overall welfare.
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