The Federal Government is to meet with the Academic Staff Union of Universities today.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Chris Ngige is set to host the meeting scheduled to commence by 5pm. It will have in attendance Representatives of the Federal Government and ASUU.
The Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Patience Onuobia, said the meeting will discuss the ongoing industrial action by ASUU which entered its 56th day today.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has said it will support effort to renegotiate the welfare package for university workers in line with current realities.
The Government was reacting to the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to wade into the face-off between it and the four University-based Unions over non-payment of minimum wage arrears, shortfall in salary payment, among others
Speaking at a meeting with members of the 2009 FG and University-Based Unions Renegotiation Committee, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said government was not happy with the approach being used by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to pursue its demands.
It would be recall that ASUU embarked on one month warning strike on February 14 and extended it to another two months at the expiration of the warning strike, over alleged failure of the government to address their demands.
But Senator Ngige at the meeting with the Committee in his office, pleaded for its assignment to be completed within six weeks as provided in the memorandum of action, moa, with the unions.
He said the Federal Government was aware of the level of depreciation to which the lecturers earning had been subjected to, due to rise in inflationary rate.
He advised the Leadership of ASUU to find a better way of pressurizing the federal ministry of education and national universities commission, NUC, to hasten action on implementation of agreements reached with the government, rather than rushing to strike actions.
Chairman of the 2009 FG and University-Based Union Renegotiation Committee, Prof. Nimi Briggs, said his Committee was consulting with all the Stakeholders, with a view to finding an amicable solution to the ASUU dispute.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has scheduled to meet with the four university-based unions over the ongoing strike in universities.
NLC said it was worried that Public Universities in the Country had been closed down as a result of the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, senior staff association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied Educational Institutions, NAAT, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT.
The four Unions affiliated with the NLC, shut down Universities over unresolved issues, including the difficulties they face with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, non-payment of the minimum wage arrears, revitalization funds, and non-review of the 2009 agreement with the government.
