Last night, the Federal Government urged university lecturers to embrace constructive consultation instead of confrontation over the issues relating to their declared dispute with the authorities.
It said having agreed to most of the terms of the lecturers’ requests, there was no need for their union to abandon talks and declare a two-week warning strike.
The government told lecturers that the “no work, no pay” principle remains an existing labour law that could be invoked should the strike disrupt academic activities.
“While the government remains committed to peaceful dialogue, it will equally enforce existing laws to protect the integrity of our education system and ensure accountability,” a statement by the Ministry of Education said.
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday asked their members to down tools for two weeks from today in a warning strike against what it called the government’s failure to meet its outstanding demands.
It warned that the strike could subsequently become indefinite.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa and Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmed, said most of the requests had been met during negotiation.
It was learnt that the two ministers, the permanent secretaries in the ministries of Education and Labour, the Solicitor-General of the Federation, officials of the Salaries and Wages Commission, among others, participated in the negotiation with ASUU where the offers were made.
An official asked: “What do the lecturers want? The government put all cards on the table and made offers that addressed almost all the requests, yet representatives of ASUU said they would go away with the offers before making known their response. But, they never did.
“Instead, they make good their strike threat. There is more to this.”
A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, on behalf of the two ministers, said the Federal Government has made a comprehensive offer to the union and, up till now, is still awaiting ASUU’s official response.
