The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Lagos State University chapter, has suspended its over two months strike.
ASUU-LASU had embarked on the strike since May, citing fee hike, non-promotion of workers and non-implementation of the Universities Miscellaneous Provision Act.
When contacted on Tuesday, Chairman of ASUU-LASU, Dr. Adekunle Idris, said the decision to resume academic activities was unanimously taken by members of the union at its last congress.
Idris said, “We have suspended our strike on Monday. The decision was taken during our last congress and this is because half of our demands have been met.”
Also, the union in a letter jointly signed by Idris and the secretary, Dr. Adeyemi Suenu, noted that an agreement had been made to resolve outstanding issues.
“The congress suspended the strike action, but resolved that discussions on the outstanding issues identified by members should be continued by executives. Congress believes that the letters and spirit of the resolutions reached with the university administration, the University Appointments and Promotions Committee, and the Governing Council shall hold,” it read.
Before the suspension of the strike, ASUU had met with the management of the school on July 2 in which certain resolutions were reached.
The parties at the meeting agreed that promotion was an ongoing exercise, and any academic staff meriting promotion should be promoted following established procedures.
The meeting noted that all outstanding cases of promotion should be forwarded to the University Appointments and Promotions (Academic) Committee according to established procedures.
On the University Miscellaneous Provision Act 2012, the meeting resolved that it was not within the purview of the Management.
ASUU-LASU maintained, however, that the issue of retirement age was within the purview of the Governing Council and that the Miscellaneous Act [2012] which stipulates the new retirement age, was contained in the ASUU/FGN Agreement of 2009, which the Lagos State Government had agreed to implement by an agreement reached with the staff unions on in December, 2010.
The meeting also resolved that nobody should be victimised on the basis of his/her involvement in the strike action.
Meanwhile, the management of LASU in a statement on Tuesday ordered members of the university community to resume full activities immediately.
Public Relations Officer of LASU, Mr. Kayode Sutton, in the statement, said, “Full academic activities for the 2013/2014 academic session are expected to commence on the university campus, Ojo, and all its external campuses with immediate effect.
“After weeks of exhaustive negotiations, the union finally capitulated to superior arguments of the university management on the issues of dispute which included the reduction of school fees, promotion of staff, and the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act [2012] and was compelled to make a U-turn’ on the strike action.”
