Strike: Respect court order, resume duty, FG tells ASUU

The Federal Government has advised the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to cease taking laws into its hands by directing its members to continue with the eight months old strike in defiance of the interlocutory injunction by the National Industrial Court NICN, which restrained the union from further action.

In a statement in Abuja, Sunday, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said a new directive by ASUU, exhorting its members to continue with action is an unwarranted lawlessness, noting that “the Federal Government strongly frowns at this.”

The Minister in a statement by Olajide Oshundun, Deputy Director Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Labour and Empliyment accused the leadership of the union of misinforming and misleading its members and warned of consequences of contempt of court order.

According to him, “The union is dishonest and misleading its members and the general public, that it has filed an appeal as well has a stay of execution of the order of National Industrial Court on September 21, 2022, though it has none of this.

“Rather, ASUU only filed an application for a permission to appeal the order. It also attached to the application, a proposed notice of appeal which it intends to file if the leave to appeal is granted. The application for a stay of execution as of this moment, has not even been listed for hearing.Where then is ASUU coming from?

“It is therefore contemptuous, dishonest and misleading for the union to tell its members that it has not only appealed the interlocutory injunction by the National Industrial Court, directing it to call off strike and return to work, but that it also has a stay of execution.”

The Minister once again called on the union to respect the court order and return to work while negotiations are concluded on the remaining issues in contention.

The statement also denied reports that the Minister walked out on the meeting between the House of Representatives and ASUU last Thursday, 29th September, 2022. It said the Minister left the meeting to attend to other pressing matters with the permission of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila after making his presentation.

It stated that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was earlier granted such permission by the Speaker.

The statement further recalled that at that meeting, Senator Ngige addressed the two major issues over which ASUU is still on strike.