The presidency has read a riot act to the striking federal universities lecturers, ahead of the planned re-opening of schools shut down over the covid-19 pandemic
It asks leadership of academic staff union of universities (ASUU) to immediately return to negotiation table, in order to resolve their grievances
Alternatively, labour and employment minister, Senator Chris Ngige, threatens that ASUU will be reported to either the national industrial court or the industrial arbitration panel
Ngige speaking to newsmen at his home town, Alor in Anambra state over the weekend, also warns that government may activate all the relevant labour laws to deal with the striking lecturers
The minister explains that he had invited ASUU leaders for a virtual meeting, in line with covid-19 protocol, but alleges that they insisted on face-to-face meeting
According to him, ASUU called out lecturers on strike, only because of federal government’s insistence that all university staff must be enrolled into the integrated personnel payroll system (IPPIS)
Ngige, however, says that employees have no right to dictate to their employers the mode of payment of their salaries.
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