The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will, on Thursday, decide on the suspension of its 8-month-old strike, Daily Trust reports.
Rumours were rife on Monday that the lecturers had called off the strike but a member of the National Executive Council of the union, who pleaded anonymity, said the strike had not been called off yet.
“What is flying around is just a mere rumour. There are ways how to handle this type of issue in ASUU. Our NEC will meet on Thursday to take a decision,” the official said.
ASUU had, on February 14, embarked on a strike over what it described as the failure of the government to meet its lingering demands.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, after what he described as “failed negotiations”, dragged the striking lecturers to the National Industrial Court.
The National Industrial Court had on September 21 ordered ASUU to call off the strike. The court granted the motion on notice filed by the Federal Government directing the lecturers to return to classrooms.
Ruling on the interlocutory injunction, the trial judge, Polycarp Hamman, restrained ASUU from continuing with the industrial action pending the determination of the suit filed against it by the Federal Government.
Displeased by the ruling, the union headed for the Appellate Court to appeal the ruling.
The Court of Appeal ordered the striking lecturers to “immediately” call off the eight months strike, having struck out ASUU’s application for a stay of execution of the lower court’s order.
It said it was within ASUU’s right to appeal the decision of the Industrial Court.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress has commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, for his intervention in the protracted crisis between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government.
Ayuba Waba, the NLC President, gave the commendation at the inauguration of the Guest House of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employers (NUCANMPE), on Tuesday at Ijoko, Sango-Ota in Ogun.
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