Exactly eight months after it started, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its industrial action that has shut down federal universities and many of their state counterparts.
ASUU is expected to make a formal pronouncement later on Friday about the “conditional” suspension of the action.
The union’s National Executive Council took the decision at the end of a meeting that ended in the early hours of Friday. It was held at its National Secretariat located at the University of Abuja.
“Action suspended, conditionally. Details later”, one of the leaders of ASUU said.
ASUU commenced its protracted industrial action on 14th February, demanding Federal Government’s implementation of the Memorandum of Action on funding for revitalisation of public universities, which was signed in December 2020.
Others include Earned Academic Allowances, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution for staff payment, among others.
After several meetings to resolve the strike ended inconclusively, the Federal Government proceeded to the National Industrial Court (NIC) to challenge the action.
In a ruling delivered on 21st September, the NIC granted the government’s application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain ASUU from continuing with the strike pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Not satisfied with the ruling, ASUU approached the Court of Appeal seeking leave to challenge the lower court’s decision.
Last week, the Court of Appeal asked the union to resume work immediately. The appeal court subsequently asked the parties to explore the option of an out-of-court settlement.
Delivering a ruling at the resumed court session on 7th October, the appeal court ordered the union to call off its strike.
The appellate court said ASUU should obey the order of the industrial court before seeking to appeal the judgment.
Led by Justice Hamman Barka, the panel said that, for ASUU to file its notice of appeal within seven days, it must show evidence that its members have resumed work immediately.
The panel held that failure to adhere to the order will make the appeal incompetent before the court of appeal.
