The Federal Government has announced that it will meet with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) over the one-month warning strike embarked upon by members of the union on Tuesday, February 22.
The planned action by the government is coming barely one week after the lecturers’ union embarked on the industrial action due to its dispute with the federal government and unresolved issues in the education sector.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Charles Akpan, on Monday in Abuja.
What the Spokesman of the Labour Ministry is saying
Akpan in the statement said that the Minister for Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, will be meeting with the executives of the union and other relevant government agencies.
The statement from the ministry’s spokesman reads, “The Honorable Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige will be meeting with the Executive of Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU and relevant Government Agencies.
‘’The meeting is scheduled as follows: Date: Tuesday, 22nd February 2022. Time: 1 pm.
Venue: Honourable Minister’s Conference room.”
What you should know
- Recall that ASUU on February 14, embarked on a 4-week total and comprehensive strike to press home their unresolved demands on the federal government.
- Some of the lecturers’ demands include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowances, University Transparency Accountability Solution and promotion arrears.
- Others are the renegotiation of 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, and the inconsistencies in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
- There has been accusations and counter-accusations between the federal government and ASUU as the blame game has continued since the later went on strike as they both accuse each other of insincerity.