THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given the Federal Government on a 21-day notice of its plans to embark on a nationwide strike.
ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) has confirmed the notice, which was issued at the end of its meeting held at the University of Ibadan, and a copy is expected to be transmitted to the Federal Ministries of Labour and Education.
“It is not an ultimatum, but a strike notice. We are giving them 21 days’ notice, after which we shall embark on strike.
“Our aim for putting out the notice is that it is a requirement under labour laws, so we are trying to ensure that all our actions are done according to the law,” a source said.
Recall that ASUU had threatened to go on strike over the non-implementation of agreements reached with the federal government.
On June 26, Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, invited the union to a meeting to deliberate on the lingering issues affecting universities and to avert the planned strike.
The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who spoke on the outcome of the meeting, restated that the agreements reached with the Federal Government had not been implemented, noting: “At the meeting called by the Minister of Education, we agreed that after two weeks, we will meet to see the progress the government has made.
“We will also see what we will do next if the government fail to implement the agreements reached.”
He listed some of the demands to include non-implementation of the 2009 re-negotiated agreements, which had lingered for over six years, adding that the academic allowances due to his members had also accumulated for over six years and nothing had been done about it.
On the issue of the revitalisation funds, he said they agreed on the Needs Assessment Report to raise N200billion yearly for five years, adding: “Since 2013, only one has been paid.
“We need revitalisation funds to upgrade our universities to standard, so that we can have students and lecturers from outside the country.”
The ASUU president added that government was yet to stop the proliferation of universities, many of which were being approved without funds to run them.
(Source: Punch)
