ASUU

RETURN TO CLASSROOM INSTEAD OF SPENDING MONEY ON LAWYERS, NGIGE SLAMS ASUU

Published

1 year ago

October 8, 2022

Chris Ngige, minister of labour, has asked the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume teaching in line with the appeal court verdict.

Ngige spoke on Friday during an interview on Channels Television.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14 over the demand for improved funding for universities, salary review for lecturers, among other issues.

Following deadlock after several meetings, the federal government proceeded to the national industrial court to challenge the action.

On September 21, the national industrial court granted the federal government’s application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain ASUU from continuing with the strike pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, ASUU approached the court of appeal seeking leave to challenge the lower court’s decision.

On Wednesday, the court of appeal asked the parties to explore the option of an out-of-court settlement, but the federal government and the union failed to reach an agreement.

At the resumed sitting on Friday, the court of appeal ordered ASUU to call off its strike.

Speaking on the development, Ngige asked ASUU to stop wasting money on pursuing legal action on the case.

“If I were ASUU counsel, I would advise them not to be making money for lawyers; lawyers who want cases to go upstairs — court of appeal and supreme court,” she said,

“The good thing about this one is that by section 243 of the Nigerian constitution, the court of appeal is the terminal court for the judgment.

“I will advise ASUU, for the benefits of the nation and the children, to go to the classroom and go back to that same initial court to grant them either two things — to set up an ADR to look into all the issues that are transmitted there.”

‘ASUU NOT SINCERE, STRIKE POLITICISED’

Speaking further, the minister accused ASUU of not being sincere with negotiations, adding that the union has politicised the strike.

Ngige also alleged that Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU president, asked Nigerians not to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 elections.

“It is ASUU that is not sincere. They feed their members with lies. At a point, they politicised the entire thing,” he said.

“President Osodeke of ASUU on national TV asked them (referring to Nigerians) to vote out the APC government, that they have kept children at home for seven months.

“Why is he dabbling into politics? A union should not go into politics by section 15 of the Trade Union Act.”

Related Topics:ASUU ASUU Strike FG NGIGE

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ASUU

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

Published

6 days 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.

The post NLC, TUC, ASUU, Others Defy Court Order As They Begin Strike appeared first on Jomog.