The National Executive Council of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities will meet on Sunday, August 28, 2022 to take a decision on whether to suspend or continue with the industrial action.
Sources among the union’s NEC members told our correspondent on Monday that the meeting will hold at the union’s national headquarters at the University of Abuja.
The council will take a decision on the industrial action based on reports from the various state congresses.
The union had demanded for the renegotiation of the ASUU-FGN 2009 agreement; release of revitalisation funds for universities; deployment of the University Transparency Accountability System for the payment of salaries and allowances of university lecturers; release of earned allowances; and the release of the white paper report of the visitation panels to universities.
“The NEC meeting will hold on August 28, the four weeks ultimatum that we gave is expiring that same day. We will be making our decisions based on the results of the state congresses.The NEC has to depend on the result of the congresses. The zones have held their own congresses; the branch chairmen will also talk to their members and they will get feedback which will be transmitted to the NEC,” one of the sources said.
When asked if the union will consider calling off the strike, the source asked, “Does it look like the government wants to end the strike?”
Confirming the date of the NEC meeting, the chairperson, ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Dr Gbolahan Bolarin, simply said, “Yes, Sunday.”
Shortly after the commencement of ASUU strike, other university-based unions such as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and other allied educational institutions had also embarked on strike to push their demands.
In a bid to end the strike, the government had set up a negotiation team led by the Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja, Nimi Briggs, to look into negotiations with the unions.
While, SSANU, NASU and NAAT had suspended their strike actions, the negotiations between the government and ASUU had stalled.