ASSU: NLC explains why it won’t tell university lectures to call off strike

The Nigerian Labour Congress has explained why it could not ask the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off its strike.

The academic union has been on strike for the past eight months over the dispute on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) as well as unresolved issues from the 2009 agreement.

NLC President Ayuba Wabba said there were a lot of issues in the agreement, which had not been implemented.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday after presenting NLC’s position on six executive bills before the Senate Committee on Aviation, Wabba said the sooner the issues are resolved, “the better for all of us because an idle mind certainly is a devil’s workshop.”

“Clearly speaking, I think it should be a priority if the issues are resolved so that we could get our wards back to schools,” he said.

“That is not how negotiations are done. If before the action commences, we were able to reach a negotiation, then we would have resolved the issues.

“We’re already on the action before those issues arose. I don’t think that is the best way to go. Government should show enough commitment to resolve the issue once and for all.”