Another ASUU Strike looms as Lecturers Get Half-Salaries
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is set to resume its suspended strike over the Federal Government’s decision to pay lecturers half-salaries for the month of October 2022. The ASUU authorities have therefore called an emergency meeting of their National Executive Council, NEC, in response to the latest development.
Though no date has been set, it was nonetheless gathered that the decision to call a meeting was made in response to the uproar that erupted when union members received half-salaries in their accounts.
“I was shocked when I received an alert from my bank and I noticed that I got half salary; they didn’t even talk about the backlog of the eight months of the strike,” a source told Punch in Abuja.
“It is true, I received half; in fact, some professors received salaries of N121,000; this is the fact, we are waiting for the decision of the national body, our members are very angry right now,” said another source.
Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, National President of ASUU, confirmed the development to our correspondent in Abuja.
“Half salaries were paid with no explanation given.” We learned that Ngige wrote to the Accountant General’s Office and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, instructing them to only pay us for the period when we called the strike off.
“We heard there was a letter in the works, but we haven’t received it yet.” “We’re going to call a meeting.”
When our correspondent contacted the Ministry of Education, which serves as the university’s supervisory ministry, a spokesperson for the ministry stated, “We don’t pay salaries at the Ministry of Education.” Please direct your inquiry to the Accountant General’s office.”
On October 14, ASUU explained that it had called off its eight-month-long strike due to a Court of Appeal order and various appeals by President Muhammadu Buhari, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other well-meaning Nigerians.
To that end, the lecturers’ union directed members to return to their various duty posts at 12 a.m. on Friday, October 14,2022.
The union, which provided the explanation in a statement issued Friday by its president, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, regretted that the issues that prompted the eight-month strike had yet to be satisfactorily addressed.
“Funding for revitalisation of public universities; Earned Academic Allowances; Proliferation of public Universities; Visitation Panels/Release of White Papers and University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, as a broad spectrum software to stop illegality and provide an alternative payment platform in the university system,” it said.
It did, however, commend the leadership of the House of Representatives and other patriotic Nigerians who intervened in the matter.
“The National Executive Council, NEC, of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) held an emergency meeting on Thursday, 13th October, 2022, at the Comrade Festus lyayi National Secretariat, University of Abuja, Abuja.”
“The meeting discussed developments since the Union declared an indefinite strike on August 29, 2022.”
“During the interim period, the Minister of Labour and Employment, through a referral, approached the National Industrial Court (NIC) for interpretation of “the provision of sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 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 began on February 14, 2022, is legal even after statutory apprehension by the Minister of Labour and Employment.”
” He also requested an interlocutory injunction to prevent the strike from continuing.”
“In its wisdom, the National Industrial Court ordered ASUU to resume work pending the outcome of the substantive suit.” Given the nature of the order, our counsel felt it was necessary to appeal the interlocutory injunction granted against our Union to the Court of Appeal. You can read more of such stories at Credible News.
“The Court of Appeal acknowledged the validity of the Union’s appeal grounds but upheld the lower court’s order and ordered our Union to comply with the lower court’s ruling as a condition precedent for the appeal to be heard.”
“NEC took note of the series of meetings with the leadership of the House of Representatives, led by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as the intervention efforts of other well-meaning Nigerians both within and outside government, and the progress made thus far.”
“NEC deliberated on the recommendations of the Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila-led Committee on the contending issues that led to the strike action within the framework of the FGN/Memorandum ASUU’s of Action (MoA) of 2020.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, the issues include: funding for public university revitalization Earned Academic Allowances; Public University Proliferation; Visitation panels/publication of white papers; The University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) is a broad-spectrum software designed to combat illegal activity and provide an alternative payment platform in universities.
You can read more of such stories at Credible News and The Cheer News
