ASUU branch prepares for another strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kaduna State University (KASU) branch, is on the verge of another industrial action due to some unresolved issues with the state government.

This was contained in a statement signed by Peter Adamu, the chairman of the union and issued to journalists on Thursday in Kaduna.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the union had embarked on an indefinite strike on 18 February over some outstanding issues, but called it off after six days.

Mr Adamu alleged that the Kaduna State Government had cancelled two scheduled meetings with ASUU, which raised concerns about its commitment to resolving the issues.

He listed the outstanding issues to include withheld salaries for May to September 2022, outstanding SIWES supervision allowances, earned academic allowance, promotion arrears and pension remittance.

Others, he said, included group life assurance/death benefits, wage award and consequential adjustment salaries and financial autonomy.

He believed that the government had returned to default settings, leaving ASUU with no choice but to consider resuming the strike.

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According to him, the agreements reached by both parties were flexible, but the government’s lack of commitment is eroding trust.

The chairman appealed to the governor and the stakeholders to intervene and avert a needless industrial action that could further plunge the university into comatose.

He also called for a swift intervention to address the lecturers’ grievances and ensure academic stability.

(NAN)