ASUU To Appeal Court Order Directing Lecturers To Call Off Strike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will appeal the ruling of the National Industrial Court which ordered the lecturers to call off their ongoing strike.
Mr Femi Falana, who is the counsel to the union, confirmed this to Channels Television on Wednesday hours after the ruling of the court, saying he was preparing the grounds of appeal at the time of this report.
The industrial action by ASUU has continued to take a toll on the nation’s education, especially the tertiary sector as academic activities in most government-owned universities have been halted for over seven months.
The lecturers downed tools on February 14 over the controversy on the adoption of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) of the government as the payment system in the university sector, among other issues.
They had also condemned the poor funding of universities, non-payment of salaries and allowances of some of their colleagues, as well as the inability of the government to pay earned academic allowance to lecturers.
But efforts to get the academics back to class have failed until now as several negotiations between the union and the government have failed.
Amid outcry over the effect of the industrial action and after seemingly exploring all available options, the government decided to take legal action against the union.
The government, through its lead counsel, Mr James Igwe, had filed an application for an interlocutory injunction, seeking an order of the court restraining ASUU from further continuing with the strike.
Delivering a ruling on the government’s application, Justice Polycarp Hamman restrained ASUU from continuing with the industrial action, pending the determination of the suit.
He ordered that the case file should be returned to the president of the Industrial Court for reassignment to another judge, as he is a vacation judge.
According to the judge, the strike is detrimental to public university students who cannot afford to attend private tertiary institutions.
He added that the Trade Dispute Act mandates workers not to embark on a strike once an issue has been referred to the industrial court.
Justice Hamman upheld the application of the government, saying it was meritorious and granted, but refused to fine the government as demanded by ASUU.
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FAQs: ASUU to Appeal Court Order Directing Lecturers to Call Off Strike
Why is ASUU appealing the court order to suspend the strike?
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) decided to appeal the National Industrial Court’s order directing lecturers to call off the strike and return to work because the union disagreed with aspects of the judgment. ASUU maintained that its concerns and demands had not been fully addressed and chose to seek further legal interpretation through the appeal process.
What did the court order regarding the ASUU strike?
The National Industrial Court directed ASUU to suspend its industrial action and resume academic activities. The ruling was based on the need to prevent further disruption to the university system while efforts continued to resolve the issues between the union and the Federal Government.
Does ASUU’s appeal automatically stop the court order?
No. Filing an appeal does not automatically suspend the enforcement of a court judgment. ASUU would need to follow due legal procedures, including seeking appropriate reliefs from the court, if it wants the order to be suspended pending the outcome of the appeal.
What issues led to the ASUU strike?
The strike was linked to several unresolved issues between ASUU and the Federal Government, including university funding, implementation of previous agreements, lecturers’ welfare, earned allowances, revitalisation of public universities, and concerns about the condition of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
How does the legal battle affect university students?
The dispute created uncertainty for students, affecting lectures, examinations, academic calendars, and graduation timelines. Students were advised to follow official updates from their universities, ASUU, and government authorities while preparing for academic activities whenever normal operations resume.
