THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in a statement directed its members to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday.
In the statement signed by ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, at the end of the union’s emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Friday held at its Comrade Festus Iyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja, Prof Osodeke said the meeting was called to review the developments since the union declared an indefinite strike action on August 29, 2022.
The issues in context, he said, include funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, proliferation of public universities, visitation panels/release of white papers, University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a broad-spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system and renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
The NEC, the statement stated, noted with regrets that the issues in dispute are yet to be satisfactorily addressed.
“However, as a law-abiding Union and in deference to appeals by the President and commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well-meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February, 2022. Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, October 14th, 2022” he said.
The statement gave the background against which the strike was suspended, noting the litigation instituted by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige at the National Industrial Court (NIC) for the interpretation of “the provision of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 18 (1) of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
The key question for interpretation, the statement said is the determination of “Whether the on-going prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities which started since Feb. 14 is legal even after statutory apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment? In addition, he asked for an interlocutory order against the continuation of the strike.”
The statement noted that the National Industrial Court in its wisdom gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit and that given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of ASUU’s counsel, “there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our Union at the Court of Appeal.”
Osodeke said the Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the Union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and “ordered our union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.”
ASUU PRESS RELEASE (ASUU SUSPENDS STRIKE ACTION)
