ASUU

COURT ADJOURNS ASUU AND FG SUIT TILL FEBRUARY

Published

2 years ago

January 29, 2023

The Federal Court of Appeal has once again adjourned the suit filed against the Academic Staff Union of Universities to February 6, 2023.

The government had in 2022 dragged ASUU before the National Industrial Court over the failure of the union to call off its strike.

Though the NICN ruled in favour of the government and ordered the striking lecturers back to work, the lecturers through their lead counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, had filed a 14-ground appeal before the appellate court.

Sunday PUNCH reports that the government had also filed a suit challenging the failure of ASUU to submit its audit report to the government.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Labour, Olajide Oshundun, who spoke to our correspondent earlier on the issue of the withheld November 2022 check-off dues, hinted that the case was also before the court.

Though the union called off its strike based on the ruling of the Appeal Court, Sunday PUNCH reported that the appellate court would rule on whether the union had the legal grounds for going on strike and also on the issue of the withheld salaries which was activated against the lecturers by the Federal Government on the grounds of ‘No-work-no-pay rule.

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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