Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment, addressed why the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government have unable to reach an agreement over the ongoing strike.
ASUU decided on Monday to extend its statewide strike for another three months.
After multiple failed attempts at reconciliation between the two sides, the strike began on February 14, 2022.
ASUU: ‘Give Us Little Time, Call Off The Strike’ – Buhari To Lecturers
Keyamo, who was represented by MINILS Director-General, Comrade Isa Aremu, during a press conference in Ilorin to launch a year-long activity to honor the 40th anniversary of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), said the problem was about two rights and interests disputes.
According to him, the ASUU strike had devolved into a conflict that had harmed Nigeria’s education industry.
He said, “Labour disputes are highly technical issues and need the relevant technical requirements and knowledge to interrogate.
“The issue here are two, dispute of rights and dispute of interests. Among the demands of ASUU is the issue of stagnant payment, which I also fully support. In fact, it is embarrassing for a Prof to be receiving N350,000 as a monthly salary, although the minimum wage should only be for the rock bottom workers. These are issues of right.
What Most Nigerian Students Don’t Know About ASUU Strike – Shehu Sani
“The real conflict is between ASUU and the Ministry of Education. Issues of funding and other agitations are disputes of interest which need a different approach, not to go on strike. Even if you go on strike over a dispute of rights, how long can that last is another question.
“Strike is a temporary stoppage of work, but when you go on strike for 22 months and you shut down the system, that has become a strife.”
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.