Industrial court panel to decide on SSANU,FG dispute Oct.31
NAN-H-105
By Doris Esa
Judgment
Abuja,Sept. 29, 2016 (NAN) a panel of the National Industrial Court will deliver judgment in the dispute between the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Federal Ministry of Education on Oct.31.
SSANU also joined the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission as co- respondents.
Justice Benedict Kanyip led two other justices of the court to fixed date for the judgment after counsel to parties adopted their final written addresses on Thursday.
Adopting his address, Mr Gani Adetola-Kaseem (SAN), told the panel that the defendants allegedly failed to honour a 2009 collective agreement entered into by parties.
Adetola-Kaseem claimed that the defendants had no intention of honoring or implementing the said agreement between the Federal Government and the association.
He told the court that some members of the staff schools were allegedly given sack letters by Vice-Chancellors, adding that the termination of the staff’s appointment was unlawful.
The claimant counsel told the court that the said agreement had been breached and they were in court to asked for certain reliefs.
He also that they were in court for the court to give interpretation to the clause in the agreement regarding government giving assistance to universities.
He argued that defendants have the responsibility to provide welfare and security for the University staff primary school children.
“Government has been doing this for years, they are the owners and proprietors and have been doing it for years.
“We urged your lordship to get to the root of this matter to find out the truth,” he argued.
Mr I.C.Iwuoha,counsel to the second defendant, Salaries, Income Wages Commission, said their position was that the university should take full responsibility for running the staff schools.
“Our position is that the University should use the income generated to fund the schools because nobody asked the Varsities to open the staff schools,” Iwuoha said
Iwuoha urged the court to critically look at the said agreement and determine the response of parties,and “look at the issues with the eye of Solomon”.
The association had on Dec. 24, 2015 declared an indefinite strike for alleged plans by government to retrench over 2,000 teachers of staff schools of public universities nationwide.
The association had alleged that the government had directed all vice chancellors to stop paying workers of Staff Schools of universities.(NAN)
ORD/OFN
Edited by Felix Nwadioha