FG Sets up 31-member Panel to Renegotiate Agreement with ASUU

FG Sets up 31-member Panel to Renegotiate Agreement with ASUU
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Following the recent 14 days threat of strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Federal Ministry of Education has set up a 31-man panel to renegotiate the agreement entered into between the Federal Government and the union.

The committee is expected to be inaugurated next Wednesday.

Speaking to The Punch in Abuja, the Director of Press, FME, Folasade Boriowo, said, “The government has started working, and I am sure that ASUU won’t be embarking on a strike because a number of developments are ongoing. A 31-man renegotiation committee has been formed, and they will be inaugurated next Wednesday.”

Among other demands, ASUU is seeking the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement based on the Nimi Briggs Commission’s proposed 2021 agreement and the payment of unpaid salaries due to the 2022 strike.

In addition, ASUU is demanding the release of unpaid salaries for sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct employees affected by the integrated payroll and personnel information system and the payment of unpaid third-party deductions such as check-off dues and cooperative contributions.

The union is also seeking funds to revitalize public universities, which are included in part in the 2023 federal budget, and the payment of paid academic benefits, also included in part in the 2023 federal budget.

In a statement released last Wednesday, ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke expressed frustration with the government’s lack of commitment and delay tactics, saying these actions are fueling a crisis in the public university system.

“In view of the foregoing, ASUU resolves to give the Nigerian Government another 14 days, in addition to the earlier 21 days, beginning from Monday, September 23, 2024, during which all the lingering issues must be concretely addressed to the satisfaction of the membership of the union. The union should not be held responsible for any industrial disharmony that arises from the government’s failure to seize the new opportunity offered by ASUU to nip the looming crisis in the bud,” the ASUU President said.

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