Imo Varsity ASUU Backs Indefinite Strike By Union

Imo State University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has endorsed the ongoing strike and wants it to be indefinite until all the grey areas are resolved.

It appealed to union’s national executive council (NUC) to remain resolute, saying the strike should continue indefinitely until the government sees reasons to return to the principles of collective bargaining to resolve the outstanding issues with the union.

The statement signed by the chairman of the IMSU branch, Odinakachukwu Ejiogu read that “ASUU was taken aback when on Tuesday, 16th of August, 2022, the minister of education, representing the federal government, abandoned the draft agreement that was a product of collective bargaining and offered the union a “salary award.”
This award is unacceptable to ASUU-IMSU.

He said: “After the congress of 23rd August, 2022, ASUU-IMSU insists that our conditions of service should be a product of collective bargaining for if it is not a product of collective bargaining, then it is against International Labour Organisation (ILO) regulations.

“Consequently, ASUU-IMSU is resolute that the strike action will continue indefinitely until the government sees reasons to return to the principles of collective bargaining to resolve the outstanding issues with the union,” he said.

Ejiogu said, “After over six months of strike action, just to get the government to sign an agreement whose renegotiation was also a product of an ASUU strike, there is nothing to show for it”.

Ejiogu maintained that since 2017 when the struggle for the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement started, the “federal government has been adopting various disruptive actions and inactions just to destabilize the ASUU instead of addressing the issues that are presented.”