Varsity workers agree to suspend strike following meeting with govt

WITH the Federal Government agreeing yesterday to all its eight-point demand, the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, has announced plan to suspend its three-week old strike with effect from midnight Feb 26.

Peters Adeyemi, the NASU General Secretary, addressing newsmen at the end of a Conciliatory meeting with the Federal Government in Abuja, yesterday, said with the acceptance of its demands, the union has agreed to suspend the national strike.

“We have eight items which we negotiated and which form the basis for our ongoing national strike in the universities.

“We have held the meeting with the government side and those areas that needed to be harmonised have been done to the satisfaction of both parties and resulting from that development.

“We use this opportunity to appreciate our members for their commitment on this struggles, this strike is hereby suspended,” he said.

While speaking to newsmen after the meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige described the deliberations as smooth, saying that all the rough edges in the former negotiation were straightened out.

“If you remember, this is about the fourth negotiation we are having on the matters brought by the Joint Action Committee of both unions, and today’s deliberation has been very fruitful.

“We have issued a conciliation document, a Memorandum of Action, and the two unions will get back to their members with the MOA. They have in good faith promised to revert to the government in the next 48 hours.

“So, we keep our fingers crossed, believing that their communication with their union members will be as quick and swift as they have promised us, more so when the government is desirous of the return of normal activities to the university system so that we can take the actions, one after the other,” the minister said.

On the return of normalcy to the universities, Ngige said the government will follow up with the visitation panels which is one of the agreements reached with the unions.