“Fill the vacuum in Labour Ministry,” ESUT VC tells FG

The Vice Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, on Tuesday,  called on the President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government to fill the vacuum in the Ministry of Labour and Employment created by the resignation of the former Minister, Simon Lalong, since December 19, 2023.

The Vice Chancellor who spoke from his office at Agbani, Enugu State, said that such ministry should not be allowed to lie fallow because of the critical functions it performs in issues of labour relations.

He made the call when members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU , and the Non-academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions, NASU, led by the ESUT JAC Chairman, Comrade Okey Animba, presented letters directing members of the unions to proceed on an indefinite strike due to non payment of withheld salaries of members of the unions in federal universities by the federal government.

While sympathizing with the members of the unions, he said that non adherence in implementation of agreements signed between federal government and unions should be kept to the letter with dare consequences on the part of violators  to forestall further breaches.

While addressing ESUT Management on the directives from the National Executive Councils, NEC, of SSANU, and NASU, Comrade Animba, who is also the South East National Vice president of SSANU, lauded the Management of ESUT for prompt payment of workers salaries and other welfare packages extended to them.

He equally called on the Management to clear 60% CONTISS and CONUAS, and Earned Allowance being owed members of the unions in the University.

Comrade Animba also called on the ESUT Management to pay promotion arrears owed staff, calling on the state government to also pay ESUT staff the N25,000 wage award it paid other civil servants  in the state to cushion the effect of hike in fuel pump price.

He noted that the strike is comprehensive, total and indefinite until government keeps to the earlier agreement with the labour unions.

He further called on the Enugu State Government to increase the subvention to ESUT to take care of the rising cost of running the University.

The ESUT union leaders equally called on the University Management to overhaul the security architecture in the University due to upsurge of crimes in the institution.