Akwa Ibom varsity’s ASUU suspends strike after two days

The Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has conditionally suspended its strike.

On Sunday, the varsity’s lecturers ceased academic activities over the institution’s percentage-based payment of salaries for 11 months. They also demanded better conditions of service.

According to PUNCH, Ime Okop, a representative of the union, on Tuesday, said the union’s congress agreed to suspend the strike pending when their members start getting payment alerts.

“Government officials called me for a meeting yesterday (Monday) at 9 pm, which did not give me time to go home and meet with my congress members,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“Because it’s government and they didn’t tell me what they were going to do, I decided to go there. When I went they brought out the script that the government wanted them to do; they spoke and we decided.

“We had a congress this morning and I am just finishing from that congress and we told the congress that the best thing is to suspend the strike conditionally until we get alerts of payments.

“We have unlocked the gate today and everybody can go to work. But it will be effective when we have our alerts according to what we signed with the state government.”

It is understood that the suspension comes a day after the state government resolved to pay three out of eleven months backlog of 25 percent salary arrears to workers at the institution.

In the resolution, which was signed by government delegates and ASUU officials, it was stated that the outstanding arrears of eight months are to paid subsequently in batches of three months each.

Both parties also reached an agreement that full payment of salaries would take effect from January 2021 while a visitation panel is to be constituted to resolve other outstanding issues.