The Federal Government and labour unions in the Federal Ministry of Education have reached a five-point agreement to suspend the ongoing industrial action over the proposed takeover of King’s College, Lagos, by the institution’s Old Students Association.
Under the agreement reached at a meeting between the Education Ministers and labour unions on Wednesday, implementation of the proposed takeover of King’s College will be put on hold for two weeks to allow further discussions on the contentious agreement.
The parties also agreed to immediately suspend the industrial action, while assuring workers that no staff member would be victimised for participating in the protest.
A seven-member committee will also be constituted to negotiate and thoroughly review the Federal Government’s agreement with the King’s College Old Students Association.
The five-point agreement reached at the meeting includes: Immediate suspension of the industrial action, no staff member will be victimised for participating in the industrial action, a two-week pause on the implementation of the takeover of King’s College by the Old Students Association, redeployment of policemen from the premises of King’s College, setting up of a seven-member committee to negotiate and x-ray the Federal Government’s King’s College agreement with the Old Students Association.
The agreement followed a day of heightened tension at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters in Abuja, where workers blocked the entrance to the ministry and chanted “Alausa must go” as the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, arrived.
The fresh agreement is expected to provide a two-week window for the government and labour to examine the disputed 35-year management concession, which the government has maintained does not amount to a sale of the institution.
The development also comes after the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said earlier that the agreement was not cast in stone and that government was willing to listen to concerns raised by the unions.
She had said: “The agreement is not cast in stone. We keep saying this, we have we are willing to listen.”
The seven-member committee is now expected to provide the platform for a more detailed review of the agreement between the Federal Government and the King’s College Old Students Association.