ASUU begins nationwide warning strike today

Posted by admin Headlines Sunday, September 25th, 2011

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has ordered a shutdown of all academic activities in the nation’s universities, as it begins its one-week warning strike today.

This is just as the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has thrown its weight behind the ASUU, while asking the Federal Government to honour the agreement reached with the union for industrial harmony in the universities in the country.

In order to ensure effectiveness of the strike, its coordination had been decentralised to all the branches of the union, with each branch mobilising its members.

The chairman of University of Abuja chapter of the union, Dr Clement Chup, told newsmen in Abuja that there was no going back on the planned industrial action.

He said what government had done over time was to pay lip service to the agreement duly entered with the ASUU, which ended the prolonged industrial action few years ago.

The major grouse of the union, according to him, was the refusal of the government to implement the vital aspects of the 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement, including the non-passage of the law on 70-year retirement age for academics in professorial cadre.

However, when the ASUU president, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, was contacted on the telephone, on Sunday, he simply asked the correspondent to speak with the state chapters of the union.

He confirmed that the battle this time was being fought from the state chapters of ASUU.

The Federal Government had, last week, made efforts to avert the one-week warning strike, when it met with the leadership of the union.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, had urged the ASUU not to commence the strike scheduled for today, to allow President Good-luck Jonathan to be properly briefed on the issues raised at the meeting.

However, the newly elected national president of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Dauda Mohammed, on Sunday, urged parties in agreement to come together for a final resolution of the issues, saying this was a case of one strike too many.

-Tribunewp_posts