The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has demanded strict parity in allowances with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) during ongoing welfare renegotiations with the Federal Government.
The General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, made the union’s stance known on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference. Adeyemi insisted that non-academic workers face the same severe economic conditions as their academic counterparts and should not be marginalized in welfare allocations.
The friction stems from the Federal Government’s approval of a 40 percent increase in allowances specifically for ASUU members.
In response, negotiators offered non-academic staff a 30 percent increment, which NASU officially rejected. Adeyemi emphasized that all campus workers patronize the same markets and purchase fuel at the same rates, making any discrimination in inflation-linked allowances unjustifiable.
According to the union leader, renegotiation processes for the university sector have progressed significantly and are nearing completion.
The final agreements reached at the university level are expected to serve as a framework for upcoming discussions involving workers in polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
NASU criticized the government’s historical pattern of delaying the implementation of signed agreements, pointing out that administrative lapses of this nature frequently trigger avoidable industrial disputes in tertiary institutions.
The union urged federal representatives to negotiate in good faith to preserve industrial harmony across public campuses.
