ASUU

STRIKE: AGAIN, ASUU FILES APPEAL AGAINST INDUSTRIAL COURT JUDGEMENT

Published

1 year ago

October 23, 2022

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has again filed an appeal seeking the nullification of the judgment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria which ruled that the lecturers must return to the classroom.

The Counsel for ASUU, Femi Falana, SAN made this known while speaking with some reporters in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Saturday.

It was recalled that Justice Hamman Polycarp of the Industrial Court had on September 21, ordered the striking lecturers to go back to work.

But ASUU filed an appeal before the Appeal Court in Abuja, intending to set aside the Industrial Court judgement.

However, the appellate court noted that it would not hear ASUU’s appeal should the union fail to obey the ruling of the lower court.

The Appeal Court, therefore, on October 7, ordered the striking lecturers to resume work with immediate effect.

The 8-month strike was suspended on October 14. Academic activities have fully resumed in some Public Universities while others have scheduled their resumption for the coming days.

Falan said yesterday that the fresh appeal was filed the same day the suspension of the prolonged industrial action was announced.

He, however, said, “date for a hearing has not been fixed yet”.

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.

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