ABUJA: The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week warning strike following a crucial overnight meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) that ended around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
Announcing the decision at a press briefing in Abuja, ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the suspension followed fresh engagements with the Federal Government and other stakeholders.
According to Piwuna, the union’s decision was informed by recent progress in discussions over the draft renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement and commitments received from government representatives.
We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government to consider the response to the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements. However, we are not where we were before the commencement of the strike, Piwuna said.
He explained that the NEC acknowledged the government’s return to the negotiation table and took note of the interventions of students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians, he added.
ASUU had on Monday, October 13, commenced a comprehensive two-week warning strike over what it described as the government’s delay in addressing key issues affecting public universities.
The lecturers’ demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, sustainable university funding, and revitalisation of public institutions.
Other outstanding issues include payment of 25–35% salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning four years, release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union dues, and an end to alleged victimisation of members at Lagos State University, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
The latest resolution marks a temporary halt to industrial actions that have frequently disrupted the Nigerian university calendar in recent years.
