The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has suspended the planned industrial action that its affiliates were set to begin at Federal Unity Colleges over the proposed concession of King’s College, Lagos.
The union reached the decision after meeting with Education Minister Dr Tunji Alausa and other stakeholders in Abuja on Monday.
Following the meeting, TUC General Secretary Nuhu Toro announced the suspension. He described the engagement as robust and productive, adding that the unions presented their concerns and the parties considered them in good faith.
Toro said the union suspended the action to allow a newly constituted committee to complete its assignment and examine the issues raised by the unions.
However, he explained that the suspension was not a permanent cancellation of the planned industrial action, warning that the unions could resume the action if dissatisfied with the committee’s recommendations.
“The issues bothering us have been laid bare, and of course, those that were critical to us were also brought to the fore,” Toro said.
He claims that after the minister addressed a number of issues brought up by the unions, the labour organisations decided to “stand down the action” and halt their previous order for affiliates to stop providing their services.
According to Toro, the ruling was made to allow the committee enough time to do its job and offer suggestions about the contentious areas.
In order to discuss the committee’s findings and decide on the next course of action, he stated the parties would reconvene within the allotted time.
Toro also called on the government to take quick action to improve King’s College, pointing out that the school’s decaying infrastructure needed to be fixed.
Education minister holds emergency meeting with TUC, affiliate unions
Following an earlier demonstration, Tunji Alausa, minister of education, held a meeting with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) and other affiliated unions over the controversy trailing the concession of King’s College, Lagos.
Alausa dismissed claims that the college had been sold, insisting that the institution remains publicly owned.
According to the minister, KCOBA would handle the funding, renovation, upgrading, operation and maintenance of the 117-year-old school under the concession agreement.
Alausa said at the ongoing meeting that all stakeholders must consider the national interest and the future of the country’s children, while recognising the importance of workers’ welfare.
Backstory…
In July, the Federal Government approved the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), a move the alumni body characterized as the onset of a new era for the 116-year-old institution.
Speaking at a press conference at the Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island, Lagos, KCOBA President Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam described the decision as one of the most significant milestones in the school’s history, marking the launch of the “King’s College Renaissance.”
He clarified that the arrangement does not constitute a sale or privatization of the school, but rather establishes a governance framework enabling the association to collaborate with the Federal Government to restore and modernize the institution.
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