Education

Breaking: ASUU finally agrees to call off eight-month strike

Published

3 years ago

2020/11/27

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has agreed to call of its eight-month strike which has grounded academic activities in the public universities.

The union leadership reached the consensus during a meeting with the government team led by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, in Abuja, on Friday.

The government also pledged to increase the total payment to the union to N70 billion.

Briefing journalists after the eight-hour meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said the dialogue was fruitful.

ASUU’s president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi agreed with the Minister’s remarks.

Ngige said the government has made a proposal which ASUU will take back to their executives.

The minister explained that several issues were discussed in the Friday meeting, including salary shortfall, the payment system for lecturers and revitalisation of universities.

He expressed optimism that all the issues will be resolved at their next meeting.

ASUU has been on strike since March over unmet demands by the federal government.

NewsWireNGR recall that, exactly about a week ago, the Federal Government accepted the demand by the ASUU that they be exempted from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

ASUU embarked on a nationwide industrial action on March 23, 2020, following its dispute with the Federal Government over their insistence on the implementation of the IPPIS in the payment of University lecturers’ salaries and allowances, as against the ASUU-developed homegrown payment platform, UTAS, which they believe guarantees the autonomy of the university.

The Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had hinted that ASUU would soon suspend its strike, following efforts by the Ministries of Finance, Education, Labour and Employment, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to meet with ASUU and resolve the disagreement on the controversial IPPIS.