The Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASSU) has conditionally suspended the nine months strike embarked upon by the union on 23rd March, 2020.
The suspension takes effect from 12am on Thursday 24th December 2020.
Announcing the suspension of the industrial action at a Press Conference in Abuja, at the end of its emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in the early hours of Wednesday, the President of ASSU Prof Biodun Ogunyemi said that the decision to suspend the strike came after diligent and careful appraisal of the various reports, especially the agreements reached by ASSU with the Federal Government of Nigeria on the 22nd December 2020.
He said that some of the issues in dispute like funding for revitalisation of public universities, payment of Earned Academic Allowances, salary shortfall, withheld salaries and Non-remittance of Check-off Dues etc were discussed at the stakeholders’ meeting on 22nd March 2020 and conclusion reached using the memorandum of Action MoA of 7th February, 2019 as basis.
“On our part we are going back to rekindle the motivation and aspirations in our members to strive to encourage our students to excel, in all the expectations that governments will sincerely fulfill their own part of the bargain, ” he said.
NEC resolved to accept the agreement reached between ASUU and the Federal Government on Dec. 22. To also consciously and diligently monitor the implementation of Federal Government ASUU agreements of Dec. 22, in all branches.
He also said that union expects that government and ASUU re-negotiation exercise would be concluded as specified in the timeline agreed by both parties, among others.
“However, should government fail to fulllfil its own parts of the agreement, ASUU will resume its suspended strike as deemed necessary.
“NEC also resolved to ensure that no ASUU member suffered any loss of deserved benefits as a result if participation in the strike, ” he said.
He said that NEC would pursue fervently the areas in the Federal Government-ASUU agreement of 2009 and Memorandum of Action (MoA) 2013 that require legislation.
Ogunyemi also said that ASUU expectation from both state and Federal Government is that government should faithfully implement all the agreements reached and signed with the union.
“Therefore the implementation Monitorng Committee (IMC), which had already been constituted to the satisfaction of government and ASUU, will work diligently to ensure that funds released are used to meet genuine revitalization needs of Nigerian public universities.
“This is with a strike and disciplined supervision of the implementation processes by the universitas themselves. To this end the students and their parents would see the fruits of the struggles of ASUU in their lives.
“The union expects the immediate release of EAA as agreed, the mainstreaming of EAA into annual budget using the agree formula.
“The union also expects government to immediately engage the universitas and other research centers in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
