The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its eight-month-old strike conditionally.
The union took the decision at the end of the National Executive Council meeting which was held at the ASUU secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
Official announcement is being awaited.
This will go down in history as one of the longest industrial actions embarked on by university lecturers in Nigeria. The strike began February 14, 2022.
The decision to suspend the strike followed a ruling by the Appeal Court in Abuja that the union should obey the order to return to classes by the National Industrial Court before it can file an appeal against it.
Some of the demands of the lecturers from the government include better pay, improved funding for universities among others.
In a statement at the end of the meeting and signed by ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, the union however regretted the failure of the government to satisfactorily address all issues in dispute.
According to Osodeke, during the intervening period, the Minister of Labour and Employment, through a referral, approached the National Industrial Court (NIC) for the interpretation of “the provision of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 18 (1) of the Trade Dispute Act, Cap T8 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, whether the on-going prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities which started since 14th February, 2022 is legal even after statutory apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment?” In addition, he asked for an interlocutory order against the continuation of the strike.
“The National Industrial Court in its wisdom gave an order compelling ASUU to resume work pending the determination of the substantive suit. Given the nature of the order, and in the opinion of our counsel, there was the need to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our Union at the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the grounds of the Union’s appeal but still upheld the order of the lower court and ordered our Union to comply with the ruling of the lower court as a condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.
“NEC noted the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside government and the progress made so far.
“NEC deliberated on the recommendations of the Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila-led Committee within the framework of the FGN/ASUU’s Memorandum of Action(MoA) of 2020 on the contending issues that led to the strike action. For the avoidance of doubt, the issues include: Funding for Revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances; Proliferation of public Universities; Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers; University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide for an alternative payment platform in the university system. Renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement
“While appreciating the commendable efforts of the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who waded into the matter, NEC noted with regrets that the issues in dispute are yet to be satisfactorily addressed.
“However, as a law-abiding Union and in deference to appeals by the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and in recognition of the efforts of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well meaning Nigerians, ASUU NEC resolved to suspend the strike action embarked upon on 14th February 2022. Consequently, all members of ASUU are hereby directed to resume all services hitherto withdrawn with effect from 12:01 on Friday, 14th October, 2022.”
It is not yet clear if the suspension will give room for the union to pursue further litigation with the government since the Appeal Court asked them to obey previous court order on resumption before it could be heard.
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