Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU National President and his excutive members
By Ayo Kehinde
The Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU on Wednesday, suspended its nine-month-old strike, ending the industrial action that started since March 2020.
ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi during a briefing of the union in Abuja, explained that the development followed consultations with its National Executive Council (NEC).
He said the suspension takes effect from Wednesday 23,2020.
The Union says it resolved that the current industrial action be suspended conditionally adding that should government fail to fulfil its own part of the Agreement, ASUU will resume its suspended strike action as deemed necessary.
Prof. Ogunyemi said in its resolutions of National Executive Council of ASUU held on 22nd of December, the Union resolved to accept the agreements reached between ASUU and the federal government as same date.
According to Prof. Ogunyemi, ASUU resolved to consciously and diligently monitor the implementation of the FGN/ASUU agreements of 22nd Dec.
“To pursue the areas in the FGN-ASUU agreement of 2009 and the MOA 2013 that require legislation such as the mainstreaming of Earned Allowance into the annual budget and the amendment of the Executive Bill in respect of the NUC Act,2004”
He stated that IPPIS is no longer an issue to ASUU, while Ogun team said the Federal Government has agreed that its members will be migrated on UTAS and by January, salaries of ASUU members will be paid via the platform.
“Government has agreed on principle with us and should government renege our members will not hesitate to withdraw their services”
In its expectations, ASUU, stated that it expects immediate release of the Earned Academic Allowances, EAA, as agreed.
It also expects the government to engage the universities and other research centers in the fight against COVID 19 pandemic.
” Our Union and its members are more than ready to meet the challenge”
ASUU also expects the government to expedite action on the test processes and ensure the deployment of UTAS for the payment of salaries in the University system.
The Union President hinted that the government had commenced payment to its members owed salaries.
” We also expect that the FGN/ASUU re-negotiation exercise would be concluded as specified in the timelines agreed by both parties”
Prof Ogunyemi added that the implementation time of agreements is elastic, stressing that some aspect of the agreement will begin immediately while some will commence in January and others would take place in March 2021.
ASUU, however, said it bent over backward again to accommodate the federal government and if it does, Nigerians are challenged to query the goverment and not ASUU.
The issues in dispute between ASUU and the FGN are ; Funding for revitilisation of Public Universities, payment of Earned Academic Allowances, reconstitution of the 2009 FGN/ASUU re-negotiation Committee, University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, as an alternative to IPPIS and payment of withheld salaries and remittance of check off dues.
