ASUU

ASUU PLANS EMERGENCY MEETING

Published

2 years ago

January 19, 2023

The Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, said lack of transparency on the part of the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities made the Federal Government register rival trade unions in the university system.

Speaking in his office in Abuja during the presentation of certificates of registration to the Congress of University Academics and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics, Ngige noted that both unions have been officially gazetted and are therefore entitled to all labour rights as enshrined in the International Trade Unions’ constitution.

He said, “Before 2020, CONUA had approached the ministry complaining of a lack of democracy and transparency in the leadership of ASUU, especially in rendering a proper account of their check-up dues remitted from the government.

“Based on these grievances, the ministry decided to register the members of CONUA to operate as a full-fledged union, for which we have issued a certificate of registration and gazetting, which is part of Section 3:2 of the ITU.

“Unbundling is not new; the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NEPA, and NNPC have been unbundled.”

Also, CONUA President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, alleged that the highhandedness of ASUU’s leadership gave birth to the association, stressing that the era of incessant strikes in the university system was over.

He, however, protested the continued remittance of the association members’ check-up dues to ASUU, asking the minister to intervene to reverse the trend.

The National President of ASUU, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, did not immediately respond to inquiries by our correspondent as calls and messages sent to him remained unanswered as of the time of filing this report.

Emergency congress

Meanwhile, branches of ASUU are set to hold emergency congresses starting from Wednesday (today), The PUNCH has reliably learnt.

Highly placed sources who are executives of the union made this known to our correspondent in Abuja.

The congress will be discussing the government’s recent move to pay withheld salaries of CONUA members.

Branches are expected to take decisions that will be transmitted to the national leadership of the union.

One of the sources who spoke to our correspondent said, “Branches are expected to hold congress. Ours is tomorrow. We have refused to say anything to the press because this is a war we want to be tactical about.”

Another source at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka said, “Yes, it is true. We will be holding our congress in line with the directive of the national body.”

ASUU

NLC, TUC, ASUU, Others Defy Court Order As They Begin Strike

Published

1 year ago

November 14, 2023

Pamilerin Fedpolygist

The NLC had on Monday announced the commencement of the industrial action from midnight of Monday, 13 November, in defiance to a restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court in Abuja on Friday.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and its affiliates including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Tuesday, began a nationwide strike, in defiance to a restraining court order barring them from embarking on the industrial action.

The two major labour unions, NLC and TUC, had declared the strike, following the brutalisation of the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, in Imo State on 1 November. Mr Ajaero was attacked in Owerri, the state capital, during an NLC protest against the Imo State government over alleged maltreatment of workers in the state.

The unions on Monday directed their members to down tools across the country as from Tuesday.

This is despite the restraining order issued by the National Industrial Court, in Abuja, on Friday, stopping the labour unions from embarking on the strike. The judge, Benedict Kanyip, ordered the two major labour unions to stop their industrial action scheduled to commence 14 November.

The interim order followed an ex-parte request by the Nigerian government through the office of Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, due to the Labour unions’ threat to embark on strike.

Ignoring the court order, ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor of soil science, on Monday, directed compliance with the strike declaration in a letter to ASUU zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons across the country.

“As an affiliate of NLC, all members of our union are hereby directed to join this action of NLC to protect the interest of Nigerian workers and the leadership of the union. Zonal coordinators and branch chairpersons should immediately mobilise our members to participate in the action,” ASUU President, Mr Osodeke, wrote in a letter to zonal and branch chairpersons of the union.

When PREMIUM TIMES asked Mr Osodeke if he was aware of the subsisting court order stopping the strike, he said the question should be directed to the NLC which called for the strike.

“Call the NLC, ASUU did not declare a strike, NLC declared the strike. Call NLC,” he said in a telephone interview on Tuesday morning.

But the NLC’s head of information, Benson Upah, did not respond to phone calls and messages sent to his line requesting for comments, as of the time of filing this report.

The labour unions had, on Monday, refused to acknowledge the court order while directing their members to withdraw their services as from Tuesday.

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