Efforts by the Federal Government’s to make the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off its nationwide strike failed on Thursday, The Punch is reporting.
The highly credible newspaper said it gathered that at a meeting with ASUU in Abuja, the Federal Government asked the lecturers to end their strike, but both parties did not agree on some issues.
ASUU consequently rejected the FG’s request to call off the strike.
One of the sore points of the meeting was the failure of the government to suspend the usage of the TSA by universities as requested by ASUU.
ASUU had on Sunday gone on strike to protest the failure of the Federal Government to implement a 2009 agreement and a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding it signed with the union.
The areas of disagreement include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, the registration of the Nigerian Universities Pension Management Company and pension matters, fractionalisation and non-payment of salaries and the issue of universities’ staff schools.
But the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, told newsmen after the meeting that the Federal Government was waiting for a feedback from ASUU on the positions presented to it.
Ngige said the union has promised to return to the negotiation table within one week.
He said the government position was drafted by the Ministers of Education (Adamu Adamu); Labour and Employment (Ngige); Finance, (Kemi Adeosun); and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and was communicated to ASUU.
Ngige said: “Within the last 48 hours, the government has been working; the Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Attorney General of the Federation met and we have taken some government positions which we have communicated to ASUU leaders to take back to their members to see if that is adequate enough for them to call off the strike.
“The major issue is that we want the strike called off so that our children in school can write their degree and promotion exams. ASUU leaders said they will come back to us on a date within the next one week. It will not be later than one week.”
The President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who also spoke with newsmen, said: “Like the minister said, government has made offers on the issues we have raised, but we have to get back to our members for them to consider the offers and advice us.
“Based on their position, we will come back to government, hopefully within the next one week.”
Ogunyemi, however, said the strike will not be called off.
He said: “The offers are for our members and when we meet with them, we will come back and reveal all we agreed on.
“The leadership of the union did not call the strike, our members did, and they will decide when to suspend the strike.”
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