By Funmilayo Adeyemi
The Federal Ministry of Education and labour unions in the ministry have reached a five-point agreement to resolve the dispute over the proposed arrangement involving King’s College, Lagos.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between the Ministers of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa and Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, and representatives of the Joint Workers Union and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in the ministry on Wednesday in Abuja.
Under the agreement, the labour unions are expected to immediately suspend the ongoing industrial action arising from concerns over the proposed arrangement involving King’s College.
The parties also agreed that no staff member would be victimised or subjected to any form of punitive action for participating in the industrial action.
The ministry further agreed to a two-week pause in the commencement of the implementation of the proposed takeover of King’s College by the institution’s old students.
Another resolution reached at the meeting was the redeployment of policemen from the premises of King’s College to help create an atmosphere conducive to further discussions.
The meeting also agreed to establish a seven-member committee to negotiate and examine the Federal Government’s agreement with the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).
The committee is expected to review the agreement, examine concerns raised by the labour unions and address issues arising from the proposed arrangement involving the school.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the resolutions are aimed at creating an avenue for further dialogue between the Federal Government and the unions toward resolving the dispute over King’s College. (NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab