Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, Aloysius Etok, said on Monday that the ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, "would be null and void without the input of the National Wages and Salaries Commission."
Etok said this in Abuja during his committee's oversight tour on the activities of the agency.
"Under no guise should the Federal Government negotiate salary or wage increase without the input of the relevant commission," he said.
The senator also advised the government against "sentimental negotiation for salary increase in the civil service."
He noted that such negotiation was the cause of the incessant industrial actions in the country.
He said, "We have said this earlier that on no account should the Federal Government in particular go on negotiation for salary increase or anything that has to do with wages or salary without the input of the commission.
"They should avoid the issue of sentimental increase or negotiation. We should cancel exceptions. Four months is about a semester.
"The commission was expected to have played a prominent role in the 2009 agreement reached between the Federal Government and ASUU."
Etok chided the commission over the implementation of the 2013 budget as well as on why the impact of the commission was not felt on Public workers' salary crises that tended to cripple some sectors of the economy from time to time.
He said, "The commission might look small but its importance cannot be under-estimated. We have come to know your level of implementation of the 2013 budget.
"We also want to know the relevance of the commission to the Federal Government and why your impact is not felt in the salary problems across the country.
"We should ensure that the commission would be there when ASUU is on strike for months as well as who guided the Federal Government in the agreement entered with ASUU in 2009. You cannot be ruled out in the scheme of things in this country."
Etok also lamented the withholding of part of the 2013 budget of the commission and maintained that the commission required funds to carry out its research-based projects.
He said, "We frown on this situation and we want to call on the Minister of Finance to do something so that you can lay a proper foundation for the commission."
The Chairman, National Income, Salaries and Wages Commission, Dr. Richard Egbule, exonerated the commission from the agreement reached between the Federal Government and ASUU.
He said, "The wages commission has been up and doing in everything concerning wages and salary in this country.
"When the controversial agreement was reached in 2009, we were there but not as negotiators. We made it known to them that the route they were going was wrong.
"Today, I wish to say that ASUU did not go on strike because of salary due to the fact that we handled it very well."
"What is controversial was the Excess Workload Allowance but we have asked them to employ more lecturers to avoid excess workload."
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