School re-opening: We are still on strike, ASUU insists

The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said that the union’s ongoing strike would continue prior to the previous reports.

Accordung to Pro. Biodun, all the issue the union raised are still yet to be addressed by the Federal Government.

“We started out industrial action before the outbreak of Coronavirus disease in the country. All the issues we raised are yet to be addressed. The government is free to open their schools, just like our members are also entitled to their dues.

As we speak, our members are being owed between three to six months of salaries. The government’s so-called fund saving platform, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, is a colossal failure. Apart from that, the government is yet to take any step to revitalise education sector among others,” he said.

Although ASUU has been invited by the government according to Ogunyemi, he said the union would wait and see what happens, adding that ASUU was always available for negotiation.

He further added that if the government did not reach an agreement with the union before the reopening date, ASUU members would not resume work.

Also, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, acting under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee, JAC, on Friday also said they would start a two-week warning strike from October 5.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos, the Branch Chairmen of UNILAG Chapters of SSANU and NASU, Olusola Sowunmi and Kehinde Ajibade, said the government had failed to fulfill its promises to them.

The unions accused the Federal Government of deceiving their leaders into accepting IPPIS. Listing their demands, the unions said there were a lot of inconsistencies in the payment of salaries to members, and the non-payment of Earned Allowances to members.

Others are the delay in the renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU Agreements, as well as the non-payment of retirement benefits to retired members.