JUST IN: Strike looms as ASUU takes decision on Wednesday

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it will take actions on the Federal Government’s failure to meet its demand in the next 48 hours.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, disclosed this to Daily Trust in a telephone interview, on Monday.

The labour leader said the union will conclude its consultation with various branches across the federation and subsequently make its position known.

The union met with Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, who served as the Chief conciliator between ASUU and the Federal Ministry of Education on October 14, 2021 on a wide range of issues.

Solacebase reports that the issues include: funding for revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution and promotion arrears.

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Other issues are renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, and the inconsistencies in Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) payment.

Subsequently, the union’s National Executive Council met behind a closed-door at the University of Abuja on November 13 and 14 where the issues were reviewed.

Daily Trust reports that the Federal Government promised to pay N22.1bn Earned Allowances to university workers, and N30bn as revitalisation fund to universities.

The union had on November 15 given the Federal Government a three-week ultimatum, saying the treatment meted out on university lecturers has left them with no choice other than industrial action.

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Osodeke, while addressing reporters, described government’s action as ”unfaithfulness” on non-implementation of the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it signed with the union upon which last year’s strike action was suspended.

Speaking with Daily Trust on Monday, Osodeke said, ”Since they (government) didn’t meet our requests, we are going through our normal procedures. We will go through our branches, we are going to be back from them tomorrow.

”From there, whatever comes out of it, we are going to take actions we are supposed to take. Though, the principal officers don’t decisions about strike, the decisions are taken from bottom to up not up to the bottom.

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”Now that our ultimatum has expired, we are going back to them (branches), what they ask us to do, we will do; whatever actions they say we should take, we will take.”

When contacted, the spokesman of the Ministry of Labour, Charles Akpan, directed our correspondent to Ministries of Education, Finance and Budget office to speak on why universities’ lecturers’ demands are being delayed.

He argued that the mandate of the Labour Ministry has been fulfilled by conciliating between all parties involved.