The Academic Staff Union of Universities has announced the suspension of its ongoing two-week warning strike.
ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, announced the suspension of the union’s two-week warning strike during a press briefing held on Wednesday in Abuja.
The National President explained that the decision was reached after an all-night meeting of the National Executive Council, which concluded earlier during the day.
Piwuna emphasised that the union had exhausted all avenues of dialogue and issued multiple ultimatums before arriving at the decision to strike, expressing his disappointment over the government’s continued silence and lack of concrete action regarding key issues affecting the welfare of university lecturers and the state of public universities in Nigeria.
“We 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,” he said.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has confirmed that the Federal Government has returned to the negotiation table.
In a statement, the union noted that while significant progress is yet to be made, the National Executive Council agreed that the ongoing strike action should be reviewed.
ASUU acknowledged the roles played by students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress in pushing for dialogue and resolution.
As a result, the union said it was suspending the two-week warning strike as a show of goodwill and in recognition of the efforts of concerned Nigerians.
It will be recalled that the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had earlier declared a total and comprehensive warning strike which commenced on Monday, October 13.
The union’s demands include the finalisation and signing of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, and sustainable funding for public universities.
ASUU is also calling for the revitalisation of universities and an end to what it describes as the victimisation of lecturers at Lagos State University, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
Other demands include the payment of outstanding 25 to 35 percent salary arrears, clearance of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union check-off dues.
