ASUU: FG Drags Striking Lecturers To Court

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had been dragged to the Industrial Court by the Federal government over its lingering strike action which has kept students at home for nearly seven months.

Naija News understands that ASUU has been on strike since February 14th of 2022 to press home its numerous demands to the Federal Government, which include payment of earned allowances and salaries for lecturers, improved funding and maintenance for tertiary institutions, the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability system (UTAS) for salary payment instead of the government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the renegotiation of the ASUU FG 2009 agreement, among others.

However, several negotiations between the union and the government have ended in deadlock.

Sources at the federal ministry of Labour told ThisDay on Friday that the ministry’s Trade Dispute Department had filed a case before the Industrial Arbitration Court in Abuja and that the hearing would commence next Monday.

According to the source, “The federal government has filed a case at the Industrial Court challenging the continued strike by the university teachers. This conforms with Section 17 of the Trade Dispute Act.”

Talks between the federal government and ASUU finally hit the rocks last Tuesday after both sides met at the National University Commission’s office in Abuja.

The federal government had said that it would not sign any other agreement it cannot implement.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, made this known meeting of Pro-Chancellors and Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities, held at the NUC’s office.