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Why We Won’t Call Off Strike Despite Nigerian Government’s Payment Of Minimum Wage Arrears – University Lecturers, ASUU

The union also accused the government of displaying an indifferent attitude toward its demands.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has maintained that its members would not call off the over three months’ strike despite the Federal Government’s payment of the minimum wage arrears of the lecturers.

 

The lecturers union stated this in a circular the University of Lagos branch issued, titled, “Payment of minimum wage arrears.”

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The chairman of UNILAG ASUU, Dele Ashiru, described the payment as “long-overdue”, adding that the core demands of ASUU had not been met.

 

The circular read, “The leadership of our Branch has been inundated with calls concerning the recent payment of the long-overdue arrears of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

“Our members are reminded that this is not one of the core demands upon which the ongoing strike action is premised.

 

“For the avoidance of doubt, the demands of our Union are the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, abrogation of the fraudulent and corrupt IPPIS scheme and the deployment of UTAS, payment of promotion arrears, the proliferation of State Universities and governance issues amongst others."

 

It added, “While our Union welcomes this unsolicited payment, our members should please conserve the funds and spend wisely so as to energise our struggle until all our demands are satisfactorily met. Our Union commends the resolve and sacrifice of our members in enthroning a University system that is globally competitive.

“United we bargain! Divided we beg! A people united can never be defeated. Solidarity forever,” it read.

SaharaReporters had reported that ASUU had on February 14, during its National Executive Committee meeting in Lagos announced a four-week rollover strike which began on February 15, following the Federal Government’s failure to meet its demands.

 

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said since the last meeting the union had with the federal government in December 2021, it had not received any formal invitation from the government.

 

ASUU extended the action by another two months to afford the government more time to address all of its demands.

 

The union also accused the government of displaying an indifferent attitude toward its demands.

 

Osodeke, in a statement to announce the extension of the rollover strike, noted that the national executive council of the union “was disappointed that Government did not treat the matters involved with utmost urgency they deserved during the four-week period as expected of a reasonable, responsive, and well-meaning administration.”