ASUU, FG to meet on Monday

The Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government will resume talks and negotiations on Monday (tomorrow) on how to resolve the impasse over the two-month-old strike embarked upon by lecturers.

National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi,however, said the union was not optimistic about the prospects of an early resolution of the industrial dispute.

“I’ am afraid nothing new. I understand they will be meeting us on Monday. Let’s wait and see if they take a reasonable step; it will determine our next line of action. Until then, let’s wait and see.”

The ASUU president had also last week that members of the union were tired of government’s failed promises.

He said, “Last year, they promised to release the funds but they did not until November when the strike began. Our members are saying they do not want promises again; what they want is action, implementation or disbursement of funds.

“The government must act in a way to convince the union that the agreement has not been set aside. To show that the government has not set aside the agreement, they should release one tranche.”

He explained that in order to forestall a situation where ASUU and the government would restart negotiations on arrears of earned academic allowances, both sides had agreed that “it would be mainstreamed into the 2019 budget.”

Members of ASUU went on strike on November 4, 2018 to demand for improved funding of universities and implementation of previous agreements with the government.

The union is also seeking the implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreements, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU; 2012 and 2013) and Memorandum of Action (MoA, 2017), among others.