ASUU declares one week warning strike, as Labour condemns planned fuel subsidy

ASUU declares one week warning strike, as Labour condemns planned fuel subsidy
Hauwa Abubakar and Helen Shok Jok, Abuja

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Friday declared a week warning strike to protest the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement between the union and the Federal Government.

The branch chairman of ASUU at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Dr Felix Igwe, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the strike would halt academic activities in the universities.

The agreement which includes; injection of funds into the university system to stem decay, payment of earned allowances related to post graduate training, project supervision, excess work load, teaching practice and 70 years retirement age for academics of the professor cadre, among others, remains unimplemented, ASSU said.

The union after a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) resolved to embark on the one week warning strike, to begin September 25.

"ASUU will embark on a one week warning strike starting from midnight of Sept. 25, 2011 to protest the lack of commitment on the full implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement in the nation’s universities,"  he said.

Reaching concensus

In a reaction, the Minister of Labour and Productivity Emeka Wogu said the issue was being discussed with a view to finding solution to the matter.

He said that his last meeting with the Minister of Education and forum of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities on Wednesday on the strike action, was fruitful.

Wogu disclosed that he would also meet with the leadership of ASUU, with a view to reaching an understanding between the union and the Federal Government.

Labour protests

Meanwhile, organised Labour in Nigeria on Thursday staged a one day rally to protest what it called government's inconsistency in policy implementation.

The rally which was tagged "save the nation" was jointly organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Civil Societies Coalition.

Some of the grievances of workers include: the slow implementation of the National Minimum Wage of N18,000, the propsed upward review in the pump prices of petroleum Products, and the Federal Government's privatisation program.

Government's explanation

Also reacting to this, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, frowned at the proposed strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the planned increase in the pump price of petroleum products.

He said that the Federal Government will remove fuel subsidy and deregulate prices of petroleum products in the country.

He, however, said that the likely effect of such measure would be a "slight increase" in the pump prices of petroleum products.

"The slight increase might be as a result of the planned deregulation of the oil sector of the economy and the removal of subsidy by the government," he said.
　
"Subsidy is in the interest of Nigerians"

The minister said that the decision to remove the subsidy as well as deregulate the sector was being taken in the best interest of the nation’s economy and Nigerians.

"Government is going to deregulate and then remove subsidy. But I think one of the likely effects will be a slight price increase."So, when they said they are going to go on strike or to protest price increase - government never mentioned that we are going to increase the pump price but that government will deregulate and will remove subsidies.

"And these are in the best interest of the country; it is in the best interest of the economy and the reason for it is so clear and manifest and Nigerians will be let into the reasons and these reasons are purely pro-people reasons."

Abubakar/Iheanacho