Relief as Varsity Workers Suspend Industrial Action

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), have suspended their three-week-old strike .

The decision to call off the strike followed a Memorandum of Action (MOA) the two unions signed with the federal government at the meeting held last night in Abuja.

Addressing journalists on the outcome of the negotiations, the General Secretary of NASU, Mr. Adeyemi Peters, said that having been satisfied with the agreement reached with the federal government, the unions agreed to suspend the strike with effect from 12 midnight today (today) Adeyemi said that the leadership of the unions had earlier secured the mandate of their organs to suspend the strike once government satisfied their demands.

He said: “We have held the meeting with the government side and those areas that needed to be harmonised have been harmonised to the satisfaction of both parties and resulting from that development, we have agreed that the ongoing national strike in universities should be suspended with effect from 12 midnight tomorrow which is Friday, February 26, 2021”

Adeyemi however said that the unions will ensure that timelines set out in the various aspects of the agreement are strictly kept, failing which the workers will resume strike.

He also said that the unions will issue a statement today (Friday) detailing all aspects of the agreement reached with the federal government.

Also speaking to journalists shortly after the meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige described the deliberations as smooth, saying that all the grey areas in the negotiation have been straightened out.