The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted the Federal Government’s last-minute appeal to suspend its planned warning strike, describing it as belated and symptomatic of the government’s slow response to workers’ grievances.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, speaking on The Morning Brief on Thursday, said the government’s intervention came only two working days before the strike, despite the union’s repeated attempts to engage on outstanding issues.
“The problem we have with this government and the Ministry of Education is that they are slow in responding to our demands,” Piwuna said.
He recalled that during a meeting in Sokoto, the union had agreed to give the government a three-week window to address key concerns, but the administration failed to act within the agreed period.
“We never heard a word from them until the three weeks elapsed — not even a courtesy message to say, ‘Gentlemen, we are running short of time.’ Nothing, until we threatened action,” he stated.
Piwuna added that the government’s appeal on Wednesday to avert industrial action came “a little too late,” stressing that the union’s 2009 agreement, which has been under renegotiation for eight years, remains unresolved.
“Two working days before a strike action, you come to appeal to us. I think the appeal has come a little too late,” he said.
ASUU is expected to decide soon on whether to proceed with the warning strike amid growing frustration over unfulfilled agreements and poor working conditions in public universities.
