Monday 18 September 2017

BREAKING: ASUU Suspends 5-Week-Old Nationwide Strike

ASUU Suspends 5-week-old Nationwide Strike
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The Nigeria's Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has conditionally suspended her five-week old strike embarked upon to press for the implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government (FG).
 
 
 
It directed its members to return to the classroom with immediate effect. The President of the Union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi who addressed a news conference at about 9.30pm Monday night after another round of meeting with the government delegation led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, directed all members of the union to return to work after their branch congresses on Tuesday, 19th September, 2017.
 
Prof. Ogunyemi said they decided to conditionally suspend the strike action in view of the timeline of October 2017 for the implementation of the signed agreement.

 

According to the boss, the union would not hesitate to resume the suspended action if the government renege on the signed agreement which he called 'Memorandum of Action', adding the signed agreement was backed by a definite timeline for implementation.
 
He warned that the government must not deliberately dishonour the agreement, pointing out that the continuous breach of signed agreement has been responsible for the constant strike action in the Universities.
 
Prof. Ogunyemi stated that the current agreement with the government is based on mutual trust between the union and the government, saying the trust of the union must be respected by the government.
 
The meeting which started at about 4.00pm was supposed to last for about one hour, but dragged for almost four hours before agreement was reached on all contending issues.
 
Briefing Journalist earlier after the meeting which ended at about 7.55pm, Dr. Ngige said all the gray areas had been sorted out and an agreement reached.
 
The minister said that members of the union had insisted that they were tired of having agreements that are not implemented, pointing out that the content of the agreement was taken from the series of meeting with the union since the commencement of the strike.
  
Dr. Ngige further disclosed that both the government and the union understood themselves and agreed in several issues, assuring that the agreement reached will be implemented by the government in line with available resources.
 
Areas of agreement included funding for revitalization of public universities and the issue of Earn Academic Allowances, the issue of University Staff Schools and the implementation of the judgement of the National Industrial Court, National Universities Pension Management Company and guidelines for pension matters form.
 
He equally stated that the union agreed to the exemption offered by the government regarding the issue of TSA, which included the issue of grants, endowment fund as well as salary short fall which he said is already being implemented by the government.
 
On the issue of state universities, he said they agreed that the union would submit a position paper to the FG on their observation with a view for government to advise state governments on the funding of state universities.
 
He describe the union as patriotic members of the society, pointing out that anybody who demands better working equipment is no doubt a patriot.
 
It would be recalled that the ASUU embarked on an indefinite nationwide industrial action on 13th August, 2017.
 
N.B: Stay tuned on Rostrum for further news on "ASUU Suspends 5-Week-Old Nationwide Strike".
 
Scripted by: Rostrum
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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