“I never saw an instance of one or two disputants convincing the other by argument’-Thomas Jefferson;
William Isaacs (1999) a pioneering MIT’s scholar did a good work on the subject of dialogue. He aptly defines dialogue as the ‘art of thinking together’. Collective bargaining between the federal government and the striking universities lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is actually about dailogue aptly defined as the ‘art of thinking together’. It is a sad commentary that the protracted dialogue between the two disputants is degenerating into an avoidable diatribe defined here as a ‘lengthy and abusive verbal attack’.
At the weekend President Goodluck Jonathan expressed indignation at the industrial action of the union, describing the continued strike as needless and subversive. “What ASUU is doing is no longer trade dispute but subversive action. What ASUU is doing is no longer trade union”; the President was quoted. The Federal Government last Thursday gave the Academic Staff Union of Universities one week ultimatum to call off the ongoing strike falling which the academic staff face a mass sack. The Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, had earlier accused the union of making new “outrageous” demands on the government. The union had countered accusing the Minister of ‘lying’. The union said it had only asked President Goodluck Jonathan to facilitate the endorsement of resolutions reached with him during the 13 hour negotiation with the President. The negotiation was commendably brokered by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.
By any industrial relations standard, what we have at hand increasingly is diatribe. Certainly it is no more dialogue. Devil is in the details as presented by the two disputants. I certainly have difficulty in agreeing with President Goodluck Jonathan that ASUU is pursuing a “subversive” agenda. Of course, the frustration of the President must be appreciated against the background of some 13 hours long long dialogue without an immediate resolution. But I still search in vain for a demand for a regime/ administration change by ASUU. I have not read ASUU making any political demand either. On the contrary ASUU has turned it’s
demand on the 2009 collective agreement into a mantra for those that care. However as a unionist myself, I share a popular view that ASUU has stretched the industrial weapon of strike to it’s limit. The notorious Arab-Israeli War lasted just 6 days. And that was a war! The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 lasted just ten days. And that was a revolution.!Even the recent celebrated Arab springs that saw the end of dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt lasted less than two weeks.
An industrial strike arising from workplace dispute, shutting down the public universities in Nigeria for six months is certainly one work stoppage too long with enormous costs. I agree with ASUU that we need additional trillions of Naira to be injected into the universities to make some impact for the better. However, common sense also tasks us not lose even more huge human hours and scarce resources to achieve the objective of funding public universities. ASUU should remember that it is in industrial dispute not war. It’s struggle is to reinvent the universities, not to wreck them. ASUU must therefore opt for minimum cost
approach for maximum benefits. The ongoing ASUU strike is the most expensive in terms of costs, including cost of a notable human life, comrade Dr Festus Iyayi.
Iyayi one time President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) died in a ghastly motor accident involving the convoy of the Governor of Kogi State. The labour movement has indeed lost a tested and committed activist of decent work in the universities and Nigerian labour market in general. Late Dr Festus would be remembered for the honesty, and commitment as well as abundant energy he brought to the struggle of working men and women for improved working and living conditions. The fact that he tragically died while reportedly travelling for the resolution of the 4-month long strike of universities lecturers was an eloquent testimony to his life and deed; service to the working people and humanity!. The
death of Dr Festus is a sobering and cruel reminder to both the Federal government and the ASUU to put in place a permanent solution to the persistent crisis of funding of public education in general and university education in particular and the attendant strikes and long schools shut downs by lecturers and students alike.
In honour of Dr Festus Iyayi who tragically died in an accident during a trip to solve the dispute at hand, I hereby suggest that ASUU should rethink the ongoing strike, suspend it while making a case for the perfection of the the agreement.
Twice beaten, ASUU can be legitimately third time doubtful. But collective bargaining is about trust (written or not) which can only be ensured by demonstration of good faith on both sides. Good faith comes if both parties do not negotiate under pressure either by threats of lock out or 6 month long strike.Given that even the Federal government has retracted from it’s overreaction on sack notice again in honour of the burial programme of the late former president of the union, Dr Festus Iyayi, ASUU that is even more bereaved must honour it’s
former President by resuming teaching and supervision of students exactly what Iyayi worked and died for. May his soul rest in peace.
ISSA AREMU mni
