*Whatever comes out of an engagement with agents of the government is an offer that must be taken back to the branches through the various organs of the union ─Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of ASUU

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In response to the Federal Government’s earlier accusation that the academic union misinformed Nigerians about the outcome of their last discussion in Abuja, FCT, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has denied that it reached an agreement with the government to call off its ongoing strike December 9, 2020.

ConsumerConnect had reported that Sen. (Dr.) Chris Ngige, Minister for Labour and Employment, who described what the two parties had as  a “gentleman agreement”, had disclosed that the Federal Government did not promise to pay the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members currently on strike before they return to the classroom.

The Minister, in a statement Tuesday, December 8, said it was false and discomforting for ASUU to wrongly inform the public that the Federal Government agreed to pay all withheld salaries before it would resume work.

Ngige stated: “The truth of the matter is that a ‘gentleman agreement’ was reached at the last meeting in which ASUU agreed to call off strike before December 9, 2020.”

However, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, President of ASUU, in a statement Wednesday, December 9 clarified that representatives of the union don’t have the powers to suspend industrial action.

Ogunyemi declared that such ASUU representatives must follow due process, which involves transmitting the outcome of negotiations to members and National Executive Council (NEC) of the union for further deliberations and actions.

The statement noted: “Therefore, the ASUU leadership did not reach any understanding with the government to suspend the strike on 9th December, 2020, and there is nothing in the government offer of 27th November, 2020, to suggest that conclusion as allegedly claimed by the Minister of Labour and Employment.”

The ASUU President said: “To put the records straight, the Principal Officers and Trustees who constitute the core of representatives of ASUU at negotiation meetings with the government are not constitutionally empowered to suspend any strike.

“Whatever comes out of an engagement with agents of the government is an offer that must be taken back to the branches through the various organs of the union.”

The statement also noted that “this trade union strategy of offer and counter-offer is continually deployed until the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU – consisting of all recognised chairpersons – finally approves what it considers an acceptable offer from the government.

“It is only then that any strike by ASUU can be suspended.”