Richard Ginika Izuora
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday, December 9, stated that the union’s negotiating team did not reach an agreement with the Federal Government in order to end the eight-month strike on December 9.
But the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige told journalists on Tuesday that ASUU had last month agreed to end the strike by December 9.
However, the ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, made the clarification in a statement titled: “Why the strike has not been suspended”.
Ogunyemi said the union representatives only told the government’s delegation; that they would take the government’s offer to the union branches and report back later.
He added that there was nothing in the government’s offer of November 27; to suggest that the union has agreed to suspend the strike.
Ogunyemi said: “The leadership of ASUU has been inundated with enquiries on why the ongoing strike action has not been suspended.
“This was a sequel to the widely reported claims by some government agents that all the demands of ASUU have been met; and that the union agreed to suspend the strike action today, 9th December 2020. Nothing can be farther from the truth!
“To put the records straight, the principal officers and trustees who constitute the core of representatives of ASUU at negotiation meetings with the government are not constitutionally empowered to suspend any strike action.
“Whatever comes out of an engagement with agents of the government is an offer; which must be taken back to the branches through the various organs of the union.
“Views and perspectives on offers by governments are aggregated and presented to government agents as counter-offers.
“This trade union strategy of offer and counter-offer is continually deployed; until the National Executive Council of ASUU – consisting of all recognised chairpersons – finally approves what it considers an acceptable offer from the government. It is only then that any strike action by ASUU can be suspended.
“At our last meeting in the office of the Minister of Labour and Employment on 27th November 2020; the ASUU leadership promised to faithfully present the latest government offer to its members through the established tradition.
“The latest offer by the government makes proposals on nearly all items of demand by the union with timelines.”