TheCable

The federal government has convened yet another meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) over the ongoing strike.

Chris Ngige, minister of Labour and employment, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The statement signed by Samuel Olowookere, director of press in the labour ministry, said the meeting would hold on Monday.

The lecturers embarked on the indefinite strike on November 4, protesting the poor funding of universities and non-implementation of previous agreements with government.

Solution to the industrial action could not be reached at previous meetings conveyed by the federal government.

The minister said further discussions between the ministry of education and ASUU would reconvene at 4 pm at the labour ministry.

Ngige expressed displeasure over a comment credited to Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, condemning the “no work, no pay” policy of government.

Falana had said the enforcement of section 43:1 of the trade dispute act 2004 was illegal.

But the minister said “no work, no pay” was a fundamental axiom in labour and industrial relations all over the world.

“That is knowing that they are tangential and that they neither anchor nor dwell on provisions of section 43 of trade dispute act T8 (LFN 2004) before it will take further necessary action,” Ngige was quoted as saying.

Speaking with journalists, Biodun Ogunyemi, national president of ASUU, said discussions is ongoing.

“For now, we have started to discuss. We are yet to reach any concrete decision,” Ogunyemi said.

“Once we have more information, we will make ourselves available to the press.”