Strike: Branches of ASSU set to vote today and Wednesday

According to The PUNCH, branches of the Academic Staff Union of Universities will begin their customary vote today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) about the union's ongoing strike.

The National Executive Council will receive the various branches' decisions for final decision-making.

This information was provided to our correspondent in Abuja by a highly-placed source within the NEC on Tuesday.

“We got the directive after the meeting with the speaker yesterday(Monday). The intervention was timely. Branches will vote between today and tomorrow after which the decisions will be convened to the NEC,” the source said.

According to The PUNCH, the latest development follows a meeting with Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the House of Representatives, who requested additional meetings between the union and the side of Federal Government.

The strike would end in a few days, according to ASUU's head attorney Femi Falana, SAN, who spoke with The PUNCH.

The government's inability to satisfy ASUU's unmet requests, according to the union, prompted the union to go on strike on Monday, February 14, 2022.

After "failed negotiations," the minister of labour and employment Chris Ngige hauled the lecturers on strike to the National Industrial Court.

On September 21, the National Industrial Court ordered ASUU to end the strike.

The federal government's request on notice was granted by the court, ordering the lecturers back into the classrooms.

In his decision on the interlocutory injunction, trial judge Polycarp Hamman prohibited ASUU from carrying out the industrial action until the outcome of the lawsuit brought by the federal government against ASUU.

Unhappy with the decision, the union went to the appeals court to challenge it.

Additionally, a request for a stay of the Industrial Court's judgement was made.

The Court of Appeal rejected ASUU's request for a stay of the lower court's judgement, and as a result, ordered the lecturers on strike to "immediately" end their eight-month walkout.

It stated that ASUU had the right to challenge the industrial court's ruling.

According to the panel, should the applicant disobey the order (of the lower court), the leave granted will be immediately revoked, supporting the federal government's claim that ASUU cannot approach the appellate court with "dirty hands."

Source