By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

Some unions under the auspices of the Joint Workers Council of the Federal Ministry of Education have rejected the suspension of industrial action announced by the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The unions also demanded that the concession of King’s College, Lagos, must be reversed.

The Chairman of the Joint Council, Mr Abraham Onuche, stated this while addressing journalists during a protest by the unions at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

Onuche said the workers remained committed to their demand for the immediate reversal of the Federal Government’s decision to concession the 35-year-old arrangement involving King’s College.

He said the unions would not recognise the suspension of the industrial action because the TUC was not directly involved in the protest or negotiations with the workers.

The chairman said the unions had been protesting for three days over the proposed concession, which they described as detrimental to public education.

He said the unions had barricaded the entrance to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja to prevent officials and other workers from accessing the premises.

According to him, the action was necessary to draw attention to what the workers considered a critical threat to the future of Federal Unity Colleges.

Onuche said the unions were surprised that the TUC could meet with the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and subsequently announced the suspension of an action in which it had not participated.

“TUC never came here for one day to listen to us, our demands,” he said.

He questioned how the congress could suspend an action that it had not joined or discussed with the unions directly involved.

Onuche said the unions had formally written to the Minister of Education on July 6, requesting an opportunity to discuss their concerns.

He, however, said that the minister had yet to grant the unions an audience despite the seriousness of the issues raised.

The chairman said the lack of consultation had deepened the dispute between the ministry and the unions.

He maintained that the unions were demanding dialogue and consultation before any final decision was taken on the concession.

According to him, the workers were particularly concerned about the effect of the concession on teachers and other employees of King’s College.

Onuche also questioned the planned deployment of teachers who might be affected by the concession to other schools in Lagos.

He recalled that the Federal Government had approved a waiver for the employment of more than 3,000 Parent-Teacher Association staff.

“I want to thank President Bola Tinubu for giving Federal Ministry of Education a waiver to employ more than 3,000 PTA staff,” he said.

He, however, asked what would happen to teachers displaced by the King’s College concession if new PTA workers were simultaneously being employed.

Onuche said the situation could create unnecessary uncertainty for teachers whose positions and future postings might be affected.

He said the unions were also worried about the wider implications of the concession for other Federal Unity Colleges across the country.

“Our demand now is that the minister should revoke that decision concerning King’s College and other schools,” he said.

According to him, allowing the concession of King’s College to proceed could encourage similar demands from old students’ associations of other Federal Unity Colleges.

He described such a development as a possible precedent that could affect the ownership and management of other public schools.

“If that King’s College goes, as we follow in law, that’s what they call precedent,” Onuche said.

He added that the government should carefully consider the long-term consequences of approving the concession before allowing the arrangement to proceed.

The chairman said the unions also had other grievances, including stagnation among education officers and challenges affecting staff welfare and administration.

He, however, said the unions had decided to concentrate their immediate efforts on securing the reversal of the King’s College concession.

Onuche said the protest would continue until the government reversed the decision and engaged the unions in meaningful consultations.

He warned that failure to address the issue could lead to the continued closure of the ministry’s headquarters and non-resumption in affected schools.

Also speaking, Mr Chigozie Ngadi, Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Federal Ministry of Education chapter, said the protest was aimed at protecting access to quality education.

Ngadi said the unions were particularly concerned about children from less privileged families who might be unable to afford education if access to King’s College became restricted.

He described King’s College as a national asset that should remain accessible to Nigerians irrespective of their economic background.

Ngadi alleged that police personnel had been deployed to the school, describing the development as an attempt to intimidate workers protesting against the concession.

“We are speaking for Nigerians. We are speaking for down-trodden Nigerians to have access to good education,” he said.

He said the unions were not opposed to partnerships capable of improving infrastructure and educational facilities in public schools.

Ngadi, however, stressed that any partnership should preserve public ownership and ensure that children from poor families continued to have access to quality education.

He urged the old students’ association of King’s College to contribute to the development of the institution without taking away opportunities from members of the wider society.

“The old boys association should give back to that society that made them what they are and not take from it,” he said.

Ngadi said the unions would continue to press for the reversal of the King’s College concession, adding that their other grievances would be addressed after the matter was resolved. (NAN)