The Academic
Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has conditionally suspended their
five weeks old strike embarked upon to press for the implementation of
agreements reached with the government.
It directed its members to return to the classroom with immediately.
President of
the Union, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi who addressed a news conference at
about 9.30 pm Monday night after another round of meeting with the
government delegation led by the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris
Ngige, directed all members of the union to return to work after their
branch congresses on Tuesday.
He said they
decided to conditionally suspend the strike action in view of the
timeline of October 2017 for the implementation of the signed agreement.
He said that
the union will not hesitate to resume the suspended action if the
government renege on the signed agreement which he called Memorandum of
Action, adding that the signed agreement was backed by a definite
timeline for implementation.
He warned that
the government must not deliberately dishonor the agreement, pointing
out that the continuous breach of signed agreement has been responsible
for the constant strike action in the Universities.
Ogunyemi said
that the current agreement with the government is based on mutual trust
between the union and the government, adding that the trust of the union
must be respected by the government.
The meeting
which started about 4.00pm was supposed to last for about one hour, but
dragged for about four hours before agreement was reached on All
contending issues.
Briefing
Journalist earlier after the meeting which ended at about 7.55pm,
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said all the gray
areas have been sorted out and an agreement reached.
He said that
members of the union had insisted that they were tired of having
agreements that are not implemented, pointing out that the content of
the agreement was taken from the series of meeting with the union since
the commencement of the strike.
He said further
that that both the government and the union understood themselves and
agreed in several issues, assuring that the agreement reached will be
implemented by the government in line with available resources.
Areas of
agreement include funding for revitalization of public universities and
the issue of Earn Academic Allowances, the issue of University Staff
Schools and the implementation of the judgement of the National
Industrial Court, National Universities Pension Management Company and
guidelines for pension matters formProfessors.
He also said
that the union agreed to the exemption offered by the government
regarding the issue of TSA, which include the issue of grants, endowment
fund as well as salary short fall which he said is already being
implemented by government.
On the issue of
state universities, he said they agreed that the union will submit a
position paper to the federal government on their observation with a
view for government to advise state government on the funding of state
universities.
He describe the
union as patriotic members of the society, pointing out that anybody
who demand better working equipment is no doubt a patriot.
