Strike Looms As ASUU Says FG’s Appeal To Shelve Action Came A Little Too Late

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that the Federal Government’s appeal to the union to suspend its proposed warning strike came a little too late.
The Federal Government had on Wednesday, October 8, appealed to ASUU to shelve the planned strike, assuring of its commitment to address all outstanding demands raised by the union.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the government was already looking into theunion’s demands and progress was being made in ongoing negotiations between both parties.
Alausa said the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, adding that President Bola Tinubu had given clear directives that all efforts must be made to avoid another disruption in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
In its reaction, ASUU blamed the government for its slow response to their demands and for waiting until just two working days before the planned strike before making the appeal.
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna “The problem we have with this government and this Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands.
“We went for a meeting in Sokoto, and at that time we were about to embark on a strike action. They gave us three weeks, we accepted the three weeks, but we never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed. Not a word from them, courtesy to even say, ‘oh gentlemen, we think we are running short, three weeks is around the corner, we are unable to meet with you on so and so date.’ Nothing, until we threatened action.
“Yesterday, they appealed to us not to embark on action. Our 2009 Agreement, which is still being renegotiated after eight years, remains undone. We have not concluded on it, and two working days before a strike action, you come to appeal to us.
“I think the appeal has come a little too late.”
The ASUU president stated that the union would embark on the strike at the expiration of its ultimatum on Sunday, October 12, unless an urgent action is taken by the government.
According to him: “Their ultimatum expires on Sunday, and after that, there will be a warning strike unless something substantial comes out from the government.
“So, in the next 48 hours, we expect to receive something substantial from the government. Then, we can go back to our members and ask, ‘do you think this is sufficient for us to hold on?’ and we will do what our members ask us to do.”
Recall that on September 29, ASUU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government at the end of a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, decrying the neglect of the university system and government’s consistent refusal to heed to its demands.
It stated that apart from engagement with the press, in August this year, members of the union in both federal and state universities held rallies, carrying placards, on their campuses to press the government to address the lingering issues in the university system.
“Nothing came out of all these rallies and pleas. What is clear for now is that both the federal and state governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector in general and the welfare of university academics in particular,” the union stated.