End ASUU strike, NLC urges FG

The Nigeria Labour Congress has called on the Federal Government to bring an end to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and other university-based unions.

NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the call in his contributions to the report of the Director-General, International Labour Organisation, during the 110th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

The conference which opened on Tuesday had the theme, “Social justice, decent work.”

According to Wabba, the NLC has written to the Federal Government on how to end the university workers’ strike.

“We call on the government to bring this strike to an end without further delay,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that while the Federal Government continue to work on the demands of the unions, academic activities across all public universities have been suspended.

Wabba said that the NLC had written to President Muhammadu Buhari on how to use a high-powered delegation to end the strike.

He said that one of the main issues in contention was the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, a salary payment platform developed by ASUU.

“I think the process has been concluded, what we are waiting for is for that process to reconvene again and for that issue to be resolved. We opened that channel of intervention among others.

“I am also aware that the Interfaith Religious Council also met with Mr President and the thinking was in the same direction.

“We will be very committed to reviewing that process and making sure that our children are made to go back to school.

“The best way to resolve disputes under the ILO rule is through a social dialogue process that works and that respects collective bargaining agreements.

“That will be a lasting option to addressing some of those issues and disputes, and I think it is high time that was done,” he said.