-Deborah Akinyosoye
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given the federal government a fresh 14-day pre-strike notice.
ASUU has long been demanding the review and signing of its renegotiated 2009 agreement with the federal government, emergency revitalisation fund for public universities, the payment of outstanding earned academic allowances, and the release of withheld salaries.
It has also been seeking the remediation of promotion arrears and third-party deductions targeted at its members.
The union is also aggrieved about what it describes as illegal recruitment, the proliferation of public universities, and the abuse of university laws.
Also sought is the removal of the universities from the Treasury Single Account and the IPPIS to aid financial autonomy for universities.
In August, ASUU issued a 21-day notice to the federal government for a nationwide strike based on these demands.
The notice was to elapse on September 8 after which the union was to decide on protests and a nationwide strike.
After failed negotiations and unimplemented agreements, the federal government reconvened a meeting with ASUU on September 9.
A joint committee comprising ASUU, the education ministry, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the labour ministry was set up to escalate the implementation of all residual issues.
The federal government, within that time, granted public tertiary institutions the right to operate endowment funds outside the treasury single account.
ASUU was expected to provide detailed information on the unpaid salaries of university staff on sabbatical, part-time, and adjunct appointments that are due to the application of the government’s coordinated payroll software IPPIS.
It was also asked to detail outstanding third-party deductions for onward transmission to the accountant general’s office.
It was reported that ASUU has resolved to grant the federal government a fresh 14-day ultimatum to implement these demands.
Emmanuel Osodeke, the ASUU president, was quoted as saying the ultimatum is to count from September 23.
The president warned that the union would not be held responsible if the government caused a strike by failing to seize the new window.