The Federal Government may have discovered a method to appease the striking university-based unions, allowing the strike to be called off in the coming days.
This was brought to light on Thursday when stakeholders met at the Presidential Villa in Abuja at the President’s request for a tripartite meeting.
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Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, hinted at this when he said, “We have made some agreements and we expect that by next week, those agreements will have matured and the various unions will have something to tell their people so that they can call off the strike.” Some issues, such as the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement in terms of condition of service and wage review, have been assigned timelines.
So we’re hoping that the unions will find a resolution to that issue by next weekend.”
On Thursday night, the government began attempts to woo stakeholders in the University system back to the bargaining table, following the prolongation of ASUU’s strike for another 12 weeks.
Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the President’s Chief of Staff, met with all of the university system’s unions, indicating that this strategy may be paying off.
The President, Muhammadu Buhari, convened the meeting in order to find amicable solutions to the crisis engulfing Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, particularly the industrial action led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities SSANU, the Non Academic Staff Union of University and Allied Institutions NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists NAAT, among others.
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Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, executive members of university unions, Ayuba Wabba, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Adamu Adamu, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and officials from the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission are among those attending the meeting.
Remember that ASUU and sister unions within the universities went on strike a few weeks ago over inconsistencies in the implementation of the Intergrated Personnel Payroll and Information System IPPIS, as well as issues over institution rejuvenation money.
