Revisiting Unity Schools’ strike

For staff, students, parents and guardians of the 104 Federal Government Colleges across Nigeria, the resumption on Sunday, October 19, 2014 was a great relief. The students resumed following the suspension of the four-week-old strike by aggrieved members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in the Federal Ministry of Education. ASCSN went on strike on the eve of resumption of the new academic session after an extended vacation as a result of the recent outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease, to press for payment of arrears and outstanding allowances estimated at N1.8bn.
Obviously, that meant extra holidays that nobody envisaged. But not until the entire system was shut down that enough public attention could be drawn to the demands of ASCSN. Secretary-General of ASCSN, Alade Lawal, said the suspension of the strike was as a result of the release of the sum of N527.6m by the Federal Government to settle the first batch of the promotion arrears of the staff. That implies that they could resume another round of strike if the authorities default in the payment of the second batch. The accumulated allowances include outstanding promotion arrears from 2007 to 2010, and the balance of 2011; arrears of salaries to some staff for the months of July to October, 2013; end-of-year incentives; non-payment of first 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation; 2010 mandatory training; repatriation allowance; duty tour allowance to affected officers, among others.
The call for the removal of the permanent secretary, Ministry of Education, MacJohn Nwaobiala, is also a weighty demand in the list of ASCSN’s grievances. Thorough reflections would prove that there have been persistent strikes in the education sector. The ASCSN’s strike also paralysed activities in the 104 colleges, the federal inspectorate offices and the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja. But for the interventions of well-meaning Nigerians including members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters who met with ASCSN and the management of the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday, October 17, 2014 in Abuja, emphasizing the need for the ministry to pay its staff all their outstanding entitlements, it is doubtful if the strike would have been called off.
It is perplexing that the government is yet to identify its priority areas regarding education. Fortunately, this time around, the inability of government to settle the workers’ entitlements was not on account of lack of funds which had been the usual excuse. The monies were allegedly diverted. Fingers have been pointing at some officers, past and present in the ministry. And if the relevant agencies do their jobs as expected, the truth would surely emerge in a matter of time.
Although strike actions seem to be the only language the authorities understand, the ASCSN strike was avoidable. Indeed, ASCSN members are entitled to their dues. But no matter how legitimate their agitation, the strike action was not in the general interest, because there were other options like continuing negotiation. For academic activities to be allowed to paralyse for four weeks certainly does not serve public interest. And the damage is unfathomable. Virtually everybody knows that the education sector has been in shambles over the years and standards keep declining.
Against the backdrop of the mass failure in the 2014 May/June WAEC examination which prompted stakeholders to renew the call on the Federal government to declare emergency in the sector, and another WAEC/NECO examinations fast approaching, the ASCSN strike was ill-timed. Now, the students who had just resumed are at the receiving end. They risk being rushed through their timetable in order to cover lost grounds in the new academic calendar. This has its effect on their mental health. All the parties, therefore, should get their acts together and avoid resumption of the strike. The government should be more forthcoming in its commitment to the welfare of its workers and avoid unnecessary hiccups that have become the hallmark of the sector.