Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions Suspends Indefinite Strike
The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) has suspended its indefinite strike.
Recall that the union had embarked on an indefinite strike last October over unresolved issues with the Federal Government.
The union announced the suspension of the strike in a letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, signed by its Secretary General, Comrade Theophilus Ndubuaku.
The letter read: “The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), hereby writes to inform you of our decision to suspend, with immediate effect, our ongoing strike called to protest the following issues:
“Refusal of the supervising ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to implement the Conditions of Service (CoS) of Federal Research Agencies, Institutions and Colleges (CoS 19) as approved by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) with effect from January 1, 2019.
“Refusal of the Federal Government to pay the arrears of 53.7 percent on Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) despite the agreement between Joint Research and Allied Institutions Sectors Union (JORAISU) and the Federal Government since March 7, 2018.
“Refusal by the relevant agencies to facilitate the increase in the retirement age of staff in Research Institutions to 65 years for non-academic staff and 70 years for academic staff as obtains in the Nigerian universities; and
“The serial sabotage by government functionaries in the establishment of the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC). “
The letter further stated that the union reviewed the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and other Federal Government agencies to resolve the issues in dispute and noted the progress made so far, such as the appointment of two sub-committees on Retirement and payment of 53.7 CONRAISS arrears.
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