The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has suspended its one month old industrial action and directed its members to return to work on Monday.
The National President of the association, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos of the developments on telephone on Friday.
Ugwoke told NAN that the resolution to suspend the strike was taken after the association met with officials of the Ministry of Labour and other concerned stakeholders on February.
“We had a meeting on Tuesday, February 2 with the Ministry of Labour and other concerned stakeholders. At that meeting, it was resolved that we suspend the action and call our members back to work.
“We want to give room for Labour and other people involved to sit over the matter. We shall be going back to work on Monday, based on the outcome of the meeting.
“That is why I am calling on our members to remain calm, go back to work as directed, while we leave the issue with the leadership of the association to handle the matter.
“As we speak, members are having congresses in their respective institutions to take stock of the strike while it lasted. They are also deliberating on the new development,” he said.
Ugwoke said that the association was equally expecting the National Universities Commission to ask the Vice-Chancellors to stop further issuance of sack letters to workers of their staff schools and retrieve the ones already issued.
“I sincerely want to salute members for complying with the stay-at-home order. It created the necessary impact and made our position known and so far, I want to express deep satisfaction with the turnout of events,” he said.
NAN recalls that the association had, on Dec. 24, 2015, begun a total and indefinite strike over plans by government to retrench more than 2000 teachers of staff schools of public universities nationwide.
The association had described the planned retrenchment as an attempt to desecrate the sanctity of an agreement which the Federal Government signed with it in 2009.
It said the action by government, if carried out, would bring untold hardship to members of the association.
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