ASUU resolves to extend strike
Rising from its scheduled National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, concluded Monday morning, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has resolved to extend its near six-month long industrial action.
The decision was taken at the union’s NEC meeting which held its headquarters inside the University of Abuja, Monday morning.
ASUU had declared the commencement of a strike on Monday, February 14, 2022, during its University of Lagos meeting,
It would be recalled that Oracle Today had earlier reported that the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced that its NEC will soon meet to decide on whether or not to continue with the over five-month industrial action.
The lecturers have been on strike despite several meetings with the Federal Government, reportedly making concessions, including the adoption of the contentious University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) as the payment platform of lecturers.
Spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, explained that the Federal Government had taken all possible steps to end the strike.
“As regards the next steps, the government has already inaugurated a committee to harmonise the IPPIS, UTAS, and UP3. This will ensure that the government will pay with only one payment platform that will harmonise all the technical peculiarities.
“If you bring some demands and almost 80% have been attended to, there is no need to drag the strike anymore.
“It is unreasonable for the strike to be lingering seeing as the government has worked towards fulfilling most of the demands.”
So far, sister unions in the tertiary education circle, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU) have announced suspension of their industrial action.
Only, last Friday, another academic workers’ union, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), suspended its three-month old nationwide strike.
Making the latest announcement via its verified social media handle, ASUU disclosed, Sunday, that its highest decision making organ, the NEC will sit either on Sunday night or Monday morning (August 28 or29) to decide on the next line of action.
“The National Executive Council, NEC, of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, will Sunday night/ Monday morning decide on whether the union would continue its over six months strike that has left most public universities in the country shut down,” read the notice posted by the union.
Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU) had announced suspension of their industrial action.
The public universities’ staff unions suspended their industrial action, last week Saturday, following a meeting with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu in Abuja, earlier Friday.
However, the suspension is expected to take effect from Wednesday, August 24.
This as also as their sister labour group, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) hinted at calling off the nearly six-month long industrial action next Monday, August 22.
The decision by the SSANU and NASU to suspend their strike followed the assurance by the Education Minister that the Federal Government has committed N50 billion to offset earned allowances for members of SSANU, NASU and the ASUU.
However, activities in public universities are expected to remain limited as ASUU remains on strike.
Adamu, who had hinted of SSANU and NASU’s strike suspension on Thursday, however, said ASUU rejected Federal Government’s proposal over the ‘no work, no pay’ rule.
ASUU has been on strike since February 14, this year.
There were strong indications that ASUU which embarked on total, indefinite industrial action is set to return to work.
A notice posted by ASUU via its various social media handles, last weekend, said the union’s members, who include university lecturers may likely return to the classrooms from Monday, August 22.
“There are strong indications that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which embarked on total, indefinite industrial action last Monday will likely resume work early next week, following ongoing negotiations with the FG.
“During a private meeting with a team of the National Higher Education Forum on Thursday in Abuja, the education minister, Adamu Adamu hinted that universities will likely reopen for learning soon while confirming ongoing talks.
“Adamu confirmed that the government has agreed to release the balance of N23billion Earned Allowances to the striking lecturers,” read the notice.
It would be recalled that while other unions agreed to suspend their strike, ASUU had objected to the Federal Government’s insistence on cancelling outstanding wages incurred while the lecturers were on strike.