Latest update on ASSU strike Feb 24th 2022
Nigeria’s minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has declared the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as illegal, saying by law, the union was supposed to issue the government at least a 14-day notice. The minister’s new position might not be unconnected with the government’s failure to persuade the striking workers to end the industrial action at a reconciliatory meeting which was held at Mr Ngige’s conference room on Tuesday. But the union has said there is nothing illegal about its action, noting it did not embark on any new strike but only resumed an action it suspended in 2020. The president of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone that the nine-month prolonged strike that was suspended in 2020 was only suspended “conditionally.” “And the condition was that the government would implement the agreements we both signed, but that if they did not, we would resume the action without informing anybody,” Mr Osodeke said. Minister’s...