No strike resolution until after COVID-19, says ASUU 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said there will be no resolution of its ongoing strike until after the COVID-19 crisis in the country.

It explained that such decision must be taken by its National Executive Council.

The union noted that it had told the government that it would negotiate and consider the government’s offers after the COVID-19 pandemic had been resolved.

The ASUU National President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, spoke on Wednesday in an interview with our correspondent, adding that the stoppage of February and March salaries of its members was not why the union embarked on strike.

ASUU on March 23 had declared a “total and indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to keep to the 2019 Memorandum of Action and over the lingering crisis on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

Five contentious issues raised in the 2019 MoA included the revitalisation fund for universities, outstanding earned academic allowances and establishment of visitation panels to universities.

Also, ASUU had insisted that it had an alternative model to IPPIS, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, which it urged the Federal Government to adopt for the universities.

The union president, Ogunyemi, said on Wednesday that the Federal Government’s decision to pay the February and March salaries of its members was “commendable but was not the reason for the strike.”

The President said, “We didn’t go on strike because of the stoppage of salary. We went on strike because we made some specific demands on the government. And we were discussing before the issue of stoppage of salaries came in.

“Our demands are still there and we are yet to reach understanding on the demands. So, if it has pleased the government to restore the salaries of our members, it is a step in the right direction.

“They have sent an invitation to us for discussion; we have told them it is not feasible for now. We believe that as soon as we collectively address the issue of COVID-19, we will meet at the negotiation table and we will sort out all the issues.

ZAHRAH, FOR TEAM PLATO REPORTS