Strike: FG, ASUU To Reconvene As Union Threatens Defaulting Varsities

Federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will meet this week to continue their negotiations in the renewed efforts to end the protracted strike embarked upon by the lecturers.

ASUU has however threatened to sanction universities that have failed to comply with its decision to remain on strike as negotiations continue with the government.

ASUU national president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this to newsmen in Abuja yesterday.
Osedeke said the union would punish those who have pulled out from the ongoing strike in the appropriate way.

“We will query them and we will follow it up the appropriate way. We have even queried some of them in accordance with the union,’’ he said.
He also noted that since the last Tripartite Plus meeting called by the chief of staff to the president on the ongoing industrial action over a month ago, there has been no other meeting.

The ASUU president added that there was nothing concrete that came out of the last meeting that was held at the presidential villa.

“We have not been called for any other meeting since that time and the government did not offer us anything, they just asked us to meet with the committee,” he added.
He also said that the union will be meeting with the government within the week.

ASUU has been on strike for the past five months to press home its demands.
The striking lecturers’ demands include, funding of the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.

Others are the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FG Agreement and the inconsistency in Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
However, the union embarked on strike while few of its members said they have pulled out of the ongoing strike to resume their academic activities.