The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a two-week warning strike over dissatisfaction with the federal government’s response to its demands.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, ASUU president, Chris Piwuna said the strike would begin on October 13 and would be observed across all branches of the union nationwide.
He said the strike became necessary after several failed attempts to get the government to address long-standing issues affecting public universities.
On October 8, Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, had appealed to the union to shelve its planned strike, assuring that negotiations with aggrieved unions in the tertiary education sector were at a final stage.
Piwuna, however, said the plea came too late, insisting that the strike would go on as planned.
He said the strike can only be averted if the federal government takes concrete action towards the demands of the lecturers.
“The problem with this government is that they are slow in responding to our demands.
“When we were about to embark on strike action, we went for a meeting in Sokoto, and they gave us three weeks, which we accepted.
“During those three weeks, we never heard a word from them until the three weeks had elapsed,” Piwuna said.
Meanwhile, the federal government has that it will activate the “no work, no pay” labour policy following the union’s declaration of a nationwide strike.
The ministry of education, in a statement on Sunday, said ASUU has remained uncooperative despite efforts to prevent the strike.
It stressed that the “no work, no pay” policy is an “extant labour law” in Nigeria, and the government would be guided by it should university academic activities be disrupted.
“While the government continues to demonstrate goodwill and flexibility, it will not abdicate its responsibility to uphold fairness and accountability in the use of public resources,” the statement reads in part.
The ministry said dialogue remains the most effective way to resolve disagreements, stating that the government is “open to engagement at any level” to prevent “unnecessary disruption.”
The ministry appealed to all academic unions to choose “partnership and dialogue rather than confrontation.”
It sought to reassure students, parents, and the public of the government’s commitment to “maintaining industrial harmony” in the tertiary education sector.
ASUU, like other public tertiary school unions, has been at loggerheads with the government over the service conditions of lecturers.
The union has been demanding the signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the release of withheld salaries, and sustainable funding for the revitalisation of public universities.
Other demands include the payment of outstanding 25-35 per cent salary arrears and promotion arrears spanning over four years.
On October 8, Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, had pleaded with the union to shelve its planned strike, assuring that negotiations with aggrieved unions in the tertiary education sector were at a final stage.
