ASUU set to end strike as union, FG finally reach agreement

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities ended an eight-hour meeting on Friday night with an indication that the union could call off its about nine-month strike next week.

Unlike the previous meetings usually ending in stalemate, both parties said after the meeting they had fruitful discussions at the Friday’s parley.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, addressing journalists shortly after the meeting held in Abuja, said that government had met all the demands of the union.

He said that ASUU would take the outcome of the meeting back to their members for ratification and revert to government with a resolution to call off the strike latest by Friday next week.

President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said that their talks were fruitful and that the union would in their usual practice take the outcome to the members before reverting to government on their resolution.

Ngige said at the beginning of the meeting that ASUU had submitted a written response to the government’s offer.

The government was said to have made further adjustments in its offer to ASUU ostensibly to avert another stalemate.

A week ago, the offer involved the amounts to be paid as Earned Allowances, revitalization fund and a pledge to offset their salary arrears.

The minister said, “What we said in the meeting and what we agreed was that in the interim (while) UTAS is being tested by NITDA and the Office of National Security Adviser for cybersecurity, the transition period, ASUU members that are not yet on the IPPIS will be paid through the platform with which they were paid the President’s compassionate COVID-19 payment done to them between the months of February and June.”

He also spoke on the new offer made to ASUU, saying prior to Friday’s meeting, government brought an aggregate offer of N50 billion to the union.

“The offer made is clear. You can understand it this way. Prior to the meeting of yesterday, government brought an aggregate offer of N50 billion to ASUU; N20 billion for revitalisation to show good faith that government is still with them on the issue of funding for revitalisation and pending the affirmation of the new sources of funding public education. There is a committee on that and the committee is working on sourcing new education funds; it is a NEEDS committee.

“So pending that NEEDS committee effecting a new funding source and strategy, government offered them N20 billion for revitalisation apart from the funds that are coming from TETFUNDS that is also used for revitalisation. They refused the N20 billion and said that they want N110 billion and that N110 billion is 50 per cent of a tranche of N220 billion. Government said they don’t have that kind of money and then increased that N20 billion by N5 billion to become N25 billion and if it becomes N25 billion, the Earned Allowances will be raised to N40 billion immediate payment making for a total of N65 billion for revitalisation and Earned Allowances in the universities.

“Government then said alternatively, ASUU could opt for the revitalisation to move up to N30 billion, while the Earned Allowances for all the unions in the universities will drop from N40 billion to N35 billion, that is the second basket offered them, either of the two. Either you choose N25 billion revitalisation plus N40 billion Earned Allowances or revitalisation of N30 billion and N35 billion Earned Allowances.”