February 2, 2021
By: James Kamara-Manneh and Albert Baron Ansu
At long last, the contentious issues regarding a demand of 100% salary increment, among other welfare issues, by the Academic Staff Association, (ASA) has been resolved. It follows the direct negotiation of President Bio, in response to one of the key ultimatums of ASA in dropping their industrial action, the downing of tools.
The Minister of Information and Communications, Abdul Rahman Swaray has confirmed the development in an interview with A-Z newspaper that an agreement has been signed between Government and the Academic Staff Associations (ASA) for the resumption of classes on Wednesday 3rd February, 2021.
The Minister continued that President Bio has consented to review their terms and conditions, something the past regime failed to do. He said ASA chose their own strike action because they knew that this government is a listening one and a government that prides in human capital development.
“So they could not have struck at a better time,” he stated.
A-Z Multi Media News has gathered that there had been an initial 25% budgeted and another 25% commitment made by the Vice President to be reflected in the April salaries and now another 25% to be included in the January 2022 budget. This thus amounts to an increment of 75%.
The Minister added: “We believe that the tertiary education is important and ASA are the ones who invest in training teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians etc. These are people that impact society. The President acknowledges that, and said if we want our human capital agenda to succeed we have to invest in tertiary education.”
In January 2021, the Vice President Dr. Juldeh Jalloh engaged ASA of the University of Sierra Leone constituting; Njala University, Poly-Techniques, and other public colleges at Fourah Bay College and made a passionate plea with lecturers to reconsider their ongoing strike action over a range of welfare related demands. The meeting ended with no deal struck but the deadlock has now been allayed.
