The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Wednesday gave
conditions that must be satisfied before calling off its nine months old
strike.
The lecturers said they did not reach any understanding with
the government to suspend the strike on December 9, 2020.
The President of ASUU, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, made the
clarification in a statement entitled: ‘Why the strike has not been suspended.’
He said the union representatives only told FG’s delegation that it would take the government’s offer to the branches through the various organs of the union and report back.
According to him, there was nothing in the government offer
of November 27, 2020, to suggest that conclusion as allegedly claimed by the
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
He said, “The leadership of ASUU has been inundated with
enquiries on why the ongoing strike action has not been suspended. This was
sequel to the widely reported claims by some government agents that all the
demands of ASUU have been met and that the union agreed to suspend the strike
action today, 9th December, 2020. Nothing can be farther from the truth!
“To put the records straight, the Principal Officers and
Trustees who constitute the core of representatives of ASUU at negotiation
meetings with government are not constitutionally empowered to suspend any
strike action.
“Whatever comes out of an engagement with agents of the
government is an offer which must be taken back to the branches through the
various organs of the union.
“Views and perspectives on offers by governments are
aggregated and presented to government agents as counter-offers. This trade
union strategy of offer and counter-offer is continually deployed until the
National Executive Council of ASUU – consisting of all recognised chairpersons –
finally approves what it considers an acceptable offer from the government. It
is only then that any strike action by ASUU can be suspended.
“At our last meeting in the office of the Minister of Labour
and Employment on 27th November, 2020, the ASUU leadership promised to
faithfully present the latest government offer to its members through the
established tradition. The latest offer by government makes proposals on nearly
all items of demand by the union with timelines.
“Among others, the document which was signed by the Hon.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, contains proposals on
inauguration of the reconstituted FGN-ASUU Renegotiation Committee (1st
December, 2020); release of details about Visitation Panels (December 1 2020); working
on the actualisation of the release of the withheld salaries of ASUU members
(Wednesday December 9 2020). Clause 9 on the document reads: “Based on these
conclusions reached on items 1-8, ASUU’s leadership will consult its organs
with a view to suspending the on-going strike” (Italics, for emphasis).
“Therefore, the ASUU leadership did not reach any
understanding with government to suspend the strike on December 9 2020 and
there is nothing in the government offer of November 27 2020 to suggest that
conclusion as allegedly claimed by the Minister of Labour and Employment.
“The leadership of ASUU has consistently stated at every
meeting with high ranking government officials that the union’s representatives
have no mandate to take final decision on any strike action by the union. All
the leadership does is to present government offers through its organs, and
that we have done faithfully in the current situation.
“ASUU recognises and appreciates the concerns of all
Nigerians who have been calling for an early resolution of the ongoing crisis.
It was a needless crisis in the first place. It happened because government has
consistently failed to faithfully implement the Agreements it freely signed
with the union.
“ASUU members, as stakeholders in the Nigerian University
System, are equally worried and embarrassed that those in position of
authority, over the years, displayed seeming indifference to the rot and decay
in Nigeria’s public universities. We think it is not too late to do a rethink.
We believe if there is the will, there will be a way.
“ASUU acknowledges some more recent interventions aimed at
resolving the crisis. While the union is willing to cooperate with concerned
authorities on the matter, this would not be done to its own detriment. So, the
strike would only be suspended when the union’s organs affirm that the welfare
and wellbeing of ASUU members, as well as the survival of our public universities,
are sufficiently guaranteed.”
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