NLC enjoins Fed Govt, ASUU to resume talks

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has promised to work hard to
ensure that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the
Federal Government return to the negotiating table.
The NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, said in Abuja yesterday that
there was need to find a lasting solution to incessant strikes to ensure
national development.
He urged the Federal Government and the lecturers to resume
negotiations, especially in the interest of the students and the
country’s future.
Omar went on: “We are going to approach ASUU and we are also going
to approach the Federal Government to ensure that they resume
negotiations.
“If you look at the trend of the strikes so far, starting from the ASUU
strike to the health workers strike and perhaps other strikes, they
border on one thing, inability or refusal of the employers, especially
in this case, the Federal Government and state governments to fulfil
the pledges they made arising from the negotiations entered into and
signed.
“For example, since 2009, there has been a signed agreement between
the Federal Government and ASUU. One would have expected that even
by showing goodwill, perhaps the lecturers would have seen reason
that okay, if the Federal Government agreed that it would be injecting
N400 billion into universities every year; if in a year it puts N100
billion in the budget, ASUU would have seen that there is goodwill,
government is determined, only that they don’t have sufficient fund to
provide the N400 billion. They would have taken it.”
Hailing the health workers for suspending their strike, he said the
recent development, where striking lecturers withdrew from
negotiations with the Federal Government, was not healthy for the
country.
“Lecturers have withdrawn from the negotiation. I think it’s not a
good thing.
“Luckily, the health sector has already agreed. They have come to
terms and have suspended their strike.
“My prayer is that the joint implementation committee will be allowed
to work and ensure that whatever is agreed is implemented within the
given time.”
In 2001, the Federal Government and ASUU entered into an agreement,
which created a room for re-negotiation every three years for impact
assessment and implementation.
The agreement was due for re-negotiation in 2004, but it didn’t take
place until 2007 and lasted more than two years to produce the 2009
agreement, which was freely entered into by ASUU and the Federal
Government.