Why we suspended the strike after 8 long months – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, explains their reasons for calling PFF the strike after 8 long years.

The Unions president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke stated that its reason is because of the various appeals by the President , Femi Gbajabiamila who is the speaker of the house of representatives, and well meaning Nigerians.

The union made this public via an official statement released on Friday 14th October 2022. To this effect,the lecturers’ union directed members to immediately resume work at their various posts on the 14th of October 2022.

Mr Ososeken however regretted that the issues which led to the strike in the first place are yet to be satisfactorily addressed.

The union however, appreciated the efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other well meaning Nigerians that stepped into the matter.

Some of the yet unresolved issues afore mentioned by the union according to them are “Funding for revitalisation of public universities; Earned Academic Allowances;Proliferation of public Universities;Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers and University Transparency and Accountability Solution,UTAS, as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system.”

The statement read in full: “The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held an emergency meeting at the Comrade Festus lyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja, on Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
“The meeting reviewed developments since the Union declared an indefinite strike action on 29th August, 2022.

“During the intervening period, the Minister of Labour and Employment, through a referral, approached the National Industrial Court (NIC) for the interpretation of “the provision of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 18 (1) of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, whether the on-going prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities which started since 14th February, 2022 is legal even after statutory apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment?”

” In addition, he asked for an interlocutory order against the continuation of the strike.

“The National Industrial Court in its wisdom gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit. Given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of our counsel, there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our Union at the Court of Appeal.

“The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the Union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and ordered our Union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.

“NEC noted the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside government and the progress made so far.

“NEC deliberated on the recommendations of the Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila-led Committee within the framework of the FGN/ASUU’s Memorandum of Action(MoA) of 2020 on the contending issues that led to the strike action.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the issues include: Funding for Revitalisation of public universities Earned Academic Allowances;Proliferation of public Universities
;Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers
;University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative, payment platform in the university system.

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