Hunger won’t force us to call-off strike, ASUU insists

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted that the stoppage of their salaries by the Federal Government will not force them to call off the ongoing strike.

The leadership of the union also commended the members for keeping faith with the union despite the hardship imposed on their families as a result of the No-Work-No-Pay directive of the Federal Government.

This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, and can be seen on the union’s website.

ASUU who accused the federal government of trying to use the No-Work-No-Pay rule to break their resolve, however, noted the union is currently negotiating with the government.

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The statement from ASUU President partly reads, ‘’Following the failure of the government to meet some lingering demands of the union, ASUU on February 14, 2022, announced a one-month warning strike, followed by another eight-week strike before it eventually commenced its indefinite strike.

“The continued strike led to the imposition of No-Work-No-Pay by the Federal Government. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, said the directive was in compliance with Section 43 of the Labour Law.’’

Though some of the demands by the union are still undergoing negotiations, the ASUU President expressed optimism that the union was on the threshold of victory, noting that the resolve of the union forced the government to engage in negotiations.

He said, “As the struggle continues, our members are commended for their commitment and steadfastness in the patriotic struggle for the survival of the university system in our country.

“Our members are particularly applauded for keeping faith with the union in spite of the hardship imposed on our families as a result of the stoppage of salaries. They have made the statement loud and clear that we are not beggars and, as a result, hunger is an impotent instrument to break our resolve.

“Our cast-iron resolve has forced the government to sit down and negotiate with us. We have had five meetings with the Federal Government team and two meetings with the Minister of Education.”

Recall that on February 14, ASUU embarked on a 4-week total and comprehensive strike to press home their unresolved demands on the federal government.

The union on March 14, extended the industrial action by another 2 months, hinging it on the lack of seriousness on the part of the federal government to address the issues.

ASUU on May 9, further extended its ongoing strike by another 12 weeks, to give the government enough time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.