ASUU suspends strike: Academic Staff Union of Universities latest news on school resumption in Nigeria
ASUU - Academic Staff Union of Universities - don suspend dia nine month strike with effect from 12 am Thursday 24 December, 2020
ASUU members and Nigeria FG inside meeting room Di ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi announce di conditional suspension of di strike around 9 O' clock dis morning for Abuja. Dem accept di offer of Federal government and monitor di implementation as part of ddia decision to end dia ten months strike action. Di ASUU President yarn tori pipo say di National Executive Council NEC resolve to suspend di strike conditionally but explain give say if goment refuse to fulfil dia own part of di agreement, ASUU go resume dia strike action without any prior notice [ASUU suspends strike in Nigeria] - See wetin go happun next When Universities go resume? Academic Staff Union of Universities [ASUU] no give di exact date or time wey universities students go go back class sake of di covid 19 protocol wey dey in place. Di union explain give say di senate of each school na im dey determine wey school go resume. Di union add say na goment responsibility to ensure say dem put in place all di needed measures for di university and dem write to di senate of di school wey go inform di students wen school go resume. We go recall say during di covid 19 outbreak, goment bin shut down schools including universities. ASUU, FG finally agree on major issues afta nine months strike ASUU and Nigeria [Federal Government] don finally agree on major issues wey go lead to di end of di ten month strike by lecturers. Dem reach dis agreement early Wednesday morning wen dem comot from eight hour close door meeting afta months of negotiations between both parties ontop di [ASUU Strike Nigeria] matter. Chris Ngige, di Minister of Labour and Employment, Federal Government delegation na im host di meeting for Abuja. ASUU tell BBC Pidgin say dem happy how goment take handle di mata and dat goment don give dem new offer and dat dem gatz hold dia meeting and get back to di goment on dia own stand within 24 hours. Di union bin go strike since March 2020 to put pressure on goment to meet dia 2009 agreement. Di major issues wey dominate dia tok tok for dia meeting na di issue of goment to pay universities dia revitalization moni, pay dia earned allowance, remove dem from IPPIS payment platform and pay dem dia witheld salaries. Goment negotiate to pay dem 40 billion Naira earned allowance and 30 billion Naira. revitalisation moni. Goment also agree to do integrity test for dis own payment system wey dem want wey be UTAS. As at Tuesday 22nd of December, goment don pay dia two months salaries plus dia earned allowance of 40 billion. Di only thing wey bin dey remain na di revitalization moni. [ASUU Strike Nigeria] Wetin be di new agreement? Afta dia close door meeting wey last for nearly eight hours, both Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige say dia meeting dey fruitful and dat dem dey hopeful say afta ASUU meet wit dia members, dem go call off di strike. Di ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi say na true say dem get fruitful tok and goment even make new offer to dem [AUSUU] and dem go go back to dia members and get government feedback within 24 hours on dia decision to end di strike. ASUU procedure to end strike - Background Before ASUU go call off strike, e get procedure wey dem say dem must to follow first. Di National President of ASUU Biodun Ogunyemi say di group of union officials wey dey negotiate wit di goment delegation every time no get constitutional powers to call off or suspend strike. Di koko be say wen dem go for negotiation and goment put out any offer, dem gatz go back to members for all di branches through dia various organs for dem to chook mouth and den, dem go review and also come up wit dia own stand and den na wetin dem agree, naim di negotiating team go cari go di next meeting as counter offers. Di trade union strategy of offer and counter-offer go go on until di National Executive Council of ASUU wey consist of all di recognised chairperson finally approve di best offer wey goment offer dem Meanwhile one insider tell BBC Pidgin say if goment meet all dia needs, di union fit hold dia NEC meeting between Tuesday and Wednesday to call of dia strike. Covid-19 regulation Even if ASUU and goment resolve dia mata and dem end di strike, one major issue wey go delay di reopening of universities na di resurgence of covid-19. School authorities gats put in place plenty measure to ensure say di schools dem dey safe for students to come inside and learn. As di year winds down, e no clear whether university students fit return to school again dis year but hope dey say school go resume early next year. ASUU and Labour Ministry meeting on top di ongoing strike How di ASUU Strike start? On 9 March 2020, ASUU begin two weeks warning strike to protests no-pay of salary to lecturers wey no follow for di federal goment Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). Dem argue say, IPPIS no go work for lecturers becos e no consider di special way wey universities dey take operate. Goment bin introduce di IPPIS programme to monitor transparency for di academic sector.