Dragging ASUU To Court Over Strike Would Worsen Dispute,  ERC Warns FG 

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By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) on Monday, asked the Federal Government to drop its plans of dragging the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) before the National Industrial Court over  its prolonged strike.

A statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, signed by its Deputy National Coordinator, Comrade Ogunjimi Isaac Ayobami and Mobilization Officer, Michael Lenin, ERC said going to court ” will worsen the ongoing industrial dispute and further dampen the hope for the reopening of  public universities”.

ERC while frowning at the Federal Government’s plans to head for court, it described it as an attempt to criminalize ASUU with the over six months old strike.

”  We hold that the FG’s move to drag ASUU to the industrial court is a ploy to  criminalize ASUU’s legitimate struggle and  clamp down on the union rather than meeting their demands”, it  said.

ERC added, ” Except the move is dropped or defeated, it will worsen the ongoing industrial dispute and further dampen the hope for the reopening of  public universities.

Therefore, we call on the government to drop this plan to victimize ASUU and rather meet the demands of the union in order for public universities to be reopened.”

” The strike action by ASUU which has lasted about 7-months without any serious and sincere response and step from the government shows how it is nonchalant about public education”.

” It is only an irresponsible government that would allow a closure of  the public universities for this long. This is the case because of the anti-poor education policies of the Buhari government like its predecessors and the fact that the top government functionaries do not have children in public universities in the country.”

The Education Rights Campaign stressed, ” it is on this note that we of the ERC call on NLC, TUC and individual trade unions, as well as student bodies and civil society organisations to condemn this planned use of the instrumentality of judiciary to attempt to criminalize a legitimate struggle of ASUU”. 

” As a practical step, we are canvassing a peaceful solidarity action by trade unions and civil society organizations at the industrial court any day the matter comes up”, adding, “we also reiterate our consistent call on the NLC and TUC to declare a 48 hour general strike and mass protest to force the government to meet the demands of ASUU and other unions so that students of public universities can resume their academic activities. 

ERC maintained, “also importantly, we urge ASUU leadership  to take the struggle beyond media war and begin to organize a series of mass activities aimed at direct engagement with parents, students, trade unions, pro-masses organisations, professional bodies and the general public over their struggle to save public university education and ensure adequate funding and decent pay for their members.

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