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Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to embrace dialogue with the federal government to end the ongoing strike action.
The vice-president spoke in Abuja on Sunday at the commemoration of the 2022 International Workers Day.
ASUU has been on strike since February 14 due to several unresolved issues — one of which is the union’s insistence on making use of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a preferred payment option, instead of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Several attempts at negotiations between the union and the federal government have proven futile.
Osinbajo said the government is “not unmindful of the anxieties of our children and their parents”, while he urged the “broader labour community” to facilitate a dialogue.
He said both the government and the union are “members of the same progressive family”, adding that dialogue is the only path to resolution.
“We are not unmindful of the anxieties of our children and their parents who are plagued by thoughts of an uncertain future as they stay home because their universities have been shut by an industrial action,” he said.
“I appeal to ASUU and the broader labour community to seek the path of dialogue.
“Even as we disagree today, we must not do so as mortal adversaries but as members of the same progressive family.
“We both want the same thing – a country that works for all and offers each citizen a fair deal – even if occasionally we differ on how to achieve this goal.
“But at all times, we have, through dialogue, found a path forward. It is in this spirit that I call on ASUU to embrace dialogue with the Government.
“I call on the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to help facilitate a resolution of this dispute through dialogue.
“I believe that we can find a path forward in good faith. And this is what we will do.”
On his part, Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, criticised the situation where strikes are always the first option considered by the unions in pressing home their demands.
