Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has expressed worries over alleged harassment and intimidation of leaders of staff unions and disrespect of trade unions in the university by the management.
Dr. Monday Igbafen, chairman, Ambrose Alli University chapter of ASUU, in a statement, said the union was disturbed by the resurgence of acts of intimidation of staff unions in the university.
Igbafen alleged that the institution’s management recently deployed a detachment of policemen to harass, intimidate and chase away union (JAC) representatives for allegedly harassing people at the school gate and preventing them from reporting for duty and even for essential services.
“It is an accepted fact that it is wrong and illegal for representatives of any union to harass people who are non-members at the gate and prevent them for reporting for duty,” Igbafen said.
While decrying the situation in the university where the police were allegedly invited to harass union leaders, Igbafen said it was unjustifiable for the university administration to invite the police to harass representatives of staff unions who were enforcing the directive or resolution of their unions.
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While describing the situation as unfortunate and unacceptable, Igbafen said, “this amounts to militarisation of affairs of the administration of the university.”
In a swift reaction, the institution’s spokesman, Edward Aihevba, said ASUU and JAC had consistently been critical of the institution’s efforts to implement government directives on reporting for duty during the lockdown.
Aihevba recalled that staff on levels 1-12 in the civil service (1-11 in the university) were required to work from home, while other staff on level 12 and above and those on essential services were required to report for work daily while maintaining social distancing and other preventive guidelines as spelt out by the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on COVID-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The university’s spokesman who called for caution, urged the union leaders to note that disputes or grievances were usually resolved at the negotiation table, pointing out that the university would not tolerate representatives of any union to harass people at the gate or prevent them from reporting for duty even for essential services.
