No end to our strike until ... - ASUU

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Sunday, asked Nigerians to brace up for a long struggle, saying that the strike embarked upon by the union had just begun. The notice was coming despite the 40 per cent increase in the salaries of the university teachers announced by the Federal Government on Friday.  N.B Visit www.campusflava.com for updates and information related to other schools.   A statement by the chairman of ASUU, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) branch, Dr. Pius Enikanselu, however, appealed for cooperation and understanding from the public on the issues that led to the strike. He said the call became necessary, as the union was not ready to shift ground on its demand, particularly on better funding of the university system in the country. He said: "All members of ASUU and the Nigerian public must brace up for a long struggle ahead in order to retrieve the Nigerian university system from the Federal Government cabal and its agents, who are solidly resistant to efforts at ameliorating brain drain and massive decadence in our universities." According to the union, the Federal Government's handling of the matter had shown that it was not ready for a sincere and permanent solution to the problem facing the Nigerian university system. Enikanselu said that the union had rejected Mr. Gamaliel Onosode's directive that subsequent negotiations and other matters contained in the draft agreement reached by both the FG team and ASUU team would henceforth be negotiated with each university's governing council. According to him, the move by the Federal Government was an attempt to destroy collective bargaining in the nation's university system. He also debunked the claim by the Federal Government that members of the ASUU executive were frustrating the resolution of the impasse by refusing to attend last Friday's meeting with the Government Negotiating Team, where the 40 per cent increase in salaries was announced. He explained that, ASUU National President, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, last Wednesday, got a telephone call from Onosode that the meeting would be holding on Friday, but that the ASUU president told Onosode that the date was not convenient for ASUU for logistics reasons. According to him, Onosode insisted on the Friday date, saying he would travel out on Sunday, while the ASUU team insisted on getting a formal invitation before agreeing to attend the meeting but none was given to Awuzie. He said: "The truth is that Onosode is being used to bring the concept of collective bargaining to an end in the university system by hiding under their own concept of university autonomy, which they claimed they had granted the universities. We are ready to fight this to the end. "If the Federal Government had accepted everything in the agreement, as claimed by the Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili, the Minister of Labour, Mr. Tokunbo Kayode SAN, and Justice Minister, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, Onosode's role would have been to invite us for a signing ceremony." He said that ASUU would have been present if it was duly invited for the meeting.

                                                                                         By Yinka Oladoyinbo