KEY POINTS
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ASUU suspends two-week warning strike after negotiations.
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The union cites progress in talks on 2009 agreement.
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Students and labour groups helped influence the decision.
TThe Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced that it is suspending its ongoing two-week warning strike after a series of meetings with the federal government. The National President of ASUU, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
AAccording to Piwuna, the decision was made after the National Executive Council (NEC) held an overnight meeting in Abuja that extended into the early hours of Wednesday and concluded around 4:00 a.m. He explained that the strike, which began on October 13, was a response to delays in addressing long-standing union demands but noted that recent engagements with government officials had yielded measurable progress.
Fresh efforts yield limited progress
Piwuna stated that although the negotiations have not fully resolved the issues, the government’s return to the discussion table marked a positive step. “We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government regarding the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. However, we are definitely not where we were prior to the commencement of the strike,” he said.
He added that the NEC acknowledged that more work remains to be done but agreed to suspend the warning strike as a gesture of goodwill. The decision, he said, was influenced by appeals from students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who have all urged the union to give dialogue another chance.
Demands still on the table
According to Punch, ASUU suspends two-week warning strike, but the union insists that key issues remain unresolved. These include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, revitalisation of public universities, and protection of lecturers from victimisation in institutions such as LASU, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and FUTO.
The union is also pushing for the settlement of outstanding 25 to 35 percent salary arrears, four years of unpaid promotion arrears, and the release of withheld third-party deductions, including cooperative and union dues.
Piwuna emphasised that while the strike has been suspended, ASUU’s demands remain firm. He urged the government to demonstrate commitment by implementing agreed terms without further delay to prevent another disruption of the academic calendar.
