The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the suspension of its ongoing two-week warning strike following a marathon meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) held overnight in Abuja.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, said the NEC meeting, which ended at about 4:00 a.m., resolved to suspend the industrial action after assessing the federal government’s latest response to the union’s demands.
According to Piwuna, the strike was initially declared due to the government’s delay in addressing key issues affecting the nation’s public universities. He, however, noted that “useful engagements” had since been held with government representatives, leading to a positive shift in negotiations.
“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 definitely not where we were prior to the commencement of the strike,” Piwuna said.
He added that the union acknowledged the government’s return to the negotiation table but maintained that “a lot more work is still required” to meet the expectations of university lecturers.
“NEC came to the conclusion that the ongoing strike should be reviewed. The decision to review the strike action was a result of efforts by our students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress. Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians,” he explained.
ASUU had on Monday, October 13, declared a total and comprehensive warning strike to protest the federal government’s failure to meet several lingering demands.
The union’s major demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, release of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, sustainable funding for public universities, revitalisation of university infrastructure, and an end to the victimisation of lecturers at LASU, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and FUTO.
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Other issues on the negotiation table include the payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions, such as cooperative contributions and union dues.
With the suspension of the strike, ASUU is expected to continue discussions with government officials in hopes of achieving a lasting resolution to the long-standing issues that have repeatedly disrupted the Nigerian university calendar
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