The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is expected to meet on Sunday, August 28, 2022, to decide on whether to call off or continue with the strike.
The striking lecturers during the make or mar NEC meeting will most likely consider the offer made by the Federal Government during their last discussion.
According to Punch, some sources among the NEC members said the meeting will hold at the union’s national headquarters at the University of Abuja.
The proposed meeting is coming on the heels of reports of alleged plans by the Federal Government to proscribe ASUU and drag it to the National Industrial court over strike action.
Decision to depend on feedback from ASUU’s state congresses
One of the sources said that the council will take a decision on the industrial action based on reports from the various state congresses.
The source stated, “The NEC meeting will hold on August 28, the four weeks ultimatum that we gave is expiring that same day. We will be making our decisions based on the results of the state congresses.
“The NEC has to depend on the result of the congresses. The zones have held their own congresses; the branch chairmen will also talk to their members and they will get feedback which will be transmitted to the NEC.’’
FG denies plans to proscribe ASUU
In a related development, the Federal Ministry of Education on, Monday, denied reports that it was planning to proscribe ASUU, saying that it was aware of such.
The Spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Goong accused ASUU of being unreasonable after failing to call off its strike despite government’s intervention.
Goong said, “We are not aware of such plans. The minister gave all the updates during his press briefing with State House correspondents. If there were plans to take further steps, he would have noted it.
“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.
“The government has also rolled out its achievements. A total of N2.5 trillion has been expended in the tertiary education sector in the past 10 years, that is even much more than the amount in the 2009 agreement. The issues about salary adjustment have also been attended to.
“If you bring some demands and almost 80% has 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.
What you should know
- 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, which amounts to N1.1 trillion, 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).
- On March 14, the union extended the industrial action by another 2 months to allow the government to meet all of its demands.
- 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.
- The Federal Government’s 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.
- ASUU remained adamant in its resolve to press on with its demand as it once again on August 1 extended its ongoing strike by another 4 weeks to give the Federal Government more time to resolve outstanding issues in its dispute with it.
