The Federal Government has unveiled renegotiated agreements with academic and non-academic staff unions in tertiary institutions, thus raising hopes of improved staff welfare and industrial harmony, even as union leaders called for full implementation of outstanding provisions and payment of arrears.
The ceremony brought together government officials, institutional managers and representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
The Chairman of the Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, in his speech at the event in Abuja, attributed the progress made to dialogue, mutual respect, empathy and compromise, saying he deliberately avoided treating negotiations as a contest between government and unions.
“I decided that I should not see myself, nor should our team see itself, as we versus the unions,” Ahmed said, explaining that he sought to understand the concerns of workers while helping union leaders appreciate government’s constraints.
He commended the union representatives for defending their members’ interests while recognising the government’s position, adding that the agreements marked the beginning, rather than the end, of the process.
Ahmed stressed that implementation must follow the provisions agreed upon, warning that the gains of negotiation could be undermined if commitments were not honoured.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was committed to improving staff welfare and ensuring more dependable academic calendars.
He disclosed that the government planned to expand the existing Implementation and Monitoring Committee for ASUU into a single committee responsible for monitoring agreements with academic and non-academic unions across tertiary institutions.
The committee’s membership would be broadened to accommodate relevant unions and stakeholders, with a view to identifying implementation challenges early and resolving them before they triggered fresh disputes.
Alausa urged union leaders to use the agreed channels to address grievances instead of rushing to the media with threats of industrial action.
He also disclosed that the agreement provided for a review every three years, thus allowing both parties to revisit emerging issues through dialogue.
However, representatives of the unions stressed that the success of the exercise would depend on the government’s willingness to implement the agreements fully.
The SSANU/NASU representative raised concerns over outstanding obligations, including unpaid 35 per cent wage award arrears and two months’ withheld salaries for members of the two unions. The representative said the unions were also awaiting full implementation of their 2026 agreement.
With only two days remaining before a strike deadline, the representative said the unions were reconsidering industrial action following steps taken by the government the previous week. The outstanding issues, the representative warned, needed urgent attention to sustain confidence in the negotiation process.
ASUP’s representative said negotiations began in December 2025 and culminated in the signing of an agreement in April 2026, describing the process as faster than previous renegotiations.
While acknowledging progress on payments and arrears, the representative said some non-financial provisions remained outstanding and urged the government to complete implementation before the end of 2026.
The polytechnic lecturers also called for effective monitoring of the agreement, stressing that implementation should not be limited to salary adjustments and allowances.
COEASU’s representative reported that more than 70 per cent of the agreement had been implemented, with payments made through September and only a small number of issues still outstanding.
The union urged the government to address the remaining provisions and ensure that commitments to other unions were equally honoured.
Another representative of the academic community appealed for the prompt release of official circulars needed to operationalise agreements with NASU and other unions, noting that delays in processing the documents could create uncertainty despite payments already received.
The ceremony ended with renewed calls for cooperation between government and unions, with stakeholders agreeing that sustained dialogue and faithful implementation were essential to preventing further disruption in tertiary institutions.
The post ASUP, SSANU: FG unveils fresh agreements, unions demand full implementation appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.