Strike: ASUU says FG yet to respond to reports of renegotiation committee

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed that it is yet to get any feedback after its discussion with the Professor Nimi Briggs-led Federal Government renegotiation committee on the 2009 agreements.

The Federal Government renegotiation committee was set up to review the draft proposed 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and renegotiate with all the striking university unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and allied institutions.

According to Punch, this was made known by the National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, during an interview, where he said that the Professor Nimi Briggs Committee told the union they were waiting for the Federal Government to respond to the reports of the meeting they had so far.

What the ASUU President is saying

Osodeke said, ‘‘Yes, we had a meeting with them last week and they have not called us again. All they told us was that they are waiting for their principal, that when their principal responds, they will get back to us.’’

He pointed out that the union had not gotten any invitation for another meeting since their last engagement.

The ASUU President lamented that they had been faced with a similar situation since May 2021 saying, ‘‘The same way they told us they were waiting for the FG in May 2021 and yet no result.’’

What you should know

• The Federal Government Briggs renegotiation committee, had since April 2022, been meeting with ASUU and other labour unions in the universities, who are all currently on strike due to its dispute with the government and non-resolution of demands of the 2009 agreements signed with the federal government.
• The government had earlier in May 2022, said it was looking into the recently submitted report of the committee on the renegotiation of the 2009 FG-ASUU agreement as well as accused ASUU of breaching labour laws by extending the ongoing strike for another three months.
• ASUU had a few days ago said that the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement with the government is progressing smoothly and has reached an advanced stage.
• ASUU had on February 14, 2022, embarked on a 4-week total and comprehensive strike to press home their unresolved demands on the federal government.
• Some of the lecturers’ demands include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, payment of earned academic allowances, and adoption of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a preferred payment option, instead of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and payment of promotion arrears.
• Others are the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement and the resolution of inconsistencies in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
• ASUU on May 9, further extended its ongoing strike by another 12 weeks, to give the government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues after an extension on March 14 due to an alleged lack of seriousness on the part of the federal government.