ASUU Dres FG as Deadline Expires Today

Striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Sunday vowed  not to resume work despite the federal government’s  ultimatum that they should do so by today or risk losing their jobs.

The federal government had last week shifted the deadline for the resumption of the teachers, who have been on strike since July from last Wednesday to today.

However,  the union has remained adamant, insisting that its members would not go back to work, despite the threat as the government is not towing the line that would resolve the crisis.

The union again added that it would not resume work until its demands as agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan at the November 4 meeting are all met.

The All Progressives Congress has however told the federal government to take responsibility for prolonging the strike, adding that it should do the needful to end the industrial action by the university teachers.

A member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of ASUU  confided in THISDAY that  the position of the union has not changed on the issue, notwithstanding the threat by the government.

He said: “Yes, a lot of our members voted that the strike should be called off, only if those conditions are met. We have insisted that the agreement be produced into a binding document. Why is that a big deal if the government is serious?  That Memorandum of Understanding  (MoU)  is a tradition anytime a strike is to be called off, between the two parties. This is a document that would be followed by the two parties. Nobody has done that, no instruction has been given.

“Finally, we asked that the non-victimisation clause be added to the MoU. Whenever we undergo any strike, we expect that our members should retrieve whatever they lost during any strike.  That has been the practice throughout history. We do not want another strike in the next few months concerning the salary arrears of all academic staff in the universities. That clause should be in the MoU.”

Reacting to comments credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, that the N200 billion infrastructure revitalisation fund had already been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the ASUU official said the claim was left for   pro-chancellors and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to verify as ASUU was not in position to do so.

Another ASUU official told THISDAY that the re-opening of some schools such as University of Abuja,   Enugu State University and several others does not in any way affect the strike.

He said as far as the union is concerned,  all ASUU members across Nigeria were on strike and would not teach.

“The managements of the schools say they have re-opened, but is any lecture going on? ASUU does not close schools anyway, we can only suspend our services,” he said.
 

The NUC had last week clarified that the resumption order did  not necessarily mean lectures would commence immediately.

Briefing journalists in Abuja last Tuesday, the Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, said some steps had to be taken before lectures could  resume fully.

He noted that the school environments would have to be put back in shape as reptiles may have taken over some places, and the Senate of each institution has to revisit the academic calendar.

Okojie had also explained that the demands for salary arrears by ASUU could only be considered when the members of the union return to work, as some may have left the system during the strike. Those who resume work would receive their salary arrears, he added.

The government on November 28, at a press conference addressed by the supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, had issued an ultimatum to the striking members of the union, after accusing the union of presenting fresh demands.

“…Any academic staff who fails to resume on or before the 4th of December, 2013 automatically ceases to be a staff of the institution and, Vice Chancellors are also directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions. The NUC is hereby directed to monitor compliance of these directives by the institutions” he said.

The union, however at a press conference addressed by its National President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, last Monday, said it was not bothered by the threat.

It also refuted claims by Wike that it presented fresh demands.
Fagge explained that the union was only seeking for the consolidation of the agreements reached at the end of the 13-hour meeting with President Jonathan.

The government, barely 24 hours to the expiration of the initial deadline, had shifted the deadline to today to enable the teachers participate in the funeral of a former ASUU President, Prof. Festus Iyayi,  who died while on his way to Kano to attend a meeting of the union.

Source: ThisDay Newspaper