BREAKING: ASUU suspends protracted industrial action

The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) on Wednesday called off its nine-month old strike, ending a protracted industrial action that started in March 2020.

ASUU National President, Biodun Ogunyemi made the announcement during a briefing of the union in Abuja.

Negotiations to end the over nine months’ strike by the lecturers had lingered for months with ASUU insisting that its members would not register on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

National Daily  investigations showed that all branches of ASUU in the federal universities met yesterday where majority of them resolved to call off the strike with a condition that the government pays at least two months out of their salary arrears between yesterday and today and then to offset the remaining by the end of January 2021.

A source privy to yesterday’s meeting said: “All depends on the evidence that the government negotiating team will present at their meeting later on Tuesday showing proof that it has met the conditions contained in their agreement.

“Part of the conditions given by the lecturers to call off the strike are that N70 billion offered by the federal government for earned allowances and revitalisation fund should be paid into the accounts of various universities’ bursaries by Tuesday. Also, the government is expected to have paid at least two months’ salaries by Tuesday. We resolved to mandate the ASUU leadership to announce the suspension of the strike once they are satisfied that the conditions have been met.”

The meeting of the branch organs of ASUU, which was held simultaneously in all the federal universities across the country yesterday ended by noon.

Details later…