Femi Falana, a human rights campaigner, has said that the government isn’t prepared to put an end to the Academic Staff Union of Universities’ protracted strike.
During an interview on Friday’s episode of Sunrise daily on Channels Television, Falana made this statement.
The industrial court ordered the instructors to return to the classrooms after the federal government and the striking university body could not come to an agreement.
ASUU President Professor Victor Osodeke was certain that the professors won’t back down and will appeal the injunction notwithstanding Justice Polycarp Hamman’s decision on Wednesday.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria commented on the court’s decision by saying, “If the government listens to ASUU, all strikes are preventable.”
“It concerns finance… ASUU persuaded the government in 1992 that employers of labor should pay education tax since those who get government training work for businesses.
Despite being prepared to boost the gasoline subsidy, the 64-year-old was irritated by the government’s failure to uphold the terms of the deal accord it made in 2009 to revitalize the public tertiary institution.
“All the government says is that we have no money, yet this year alone, the same administration boosted fuel subsidies from 443 billion to 4 trillion Naira, and now we are informed that by the end of the year may transform into 6.3 trillion.”
I believe that these are some of the problems, he said, “So where are you obtaining such money to finance waste and fraud but when it comes to education you claim you have no money.”
Falana believed that the federal government made a mistake by taking the matter to the industrial court.
“We sought to explain to the court why [it was improper to contact the court], and the court stated they would consider it later.”
He said, “We made it obvious to the court and cited more than six instances where the same court continually cautioned the minister that you cannot come here without beginning your action in the IAP if it pertains to trade issues.
For the first time in the court’s history, we were informed that a matter might be sent directly to the national industrial court by the minister, bypassing the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP).
“Because the NIC is an appeal chamber of the AIP under the existing labor law system in Nigeria. It is thus an appellate court. You may only go to the national industrial court if someone has been fired from their job or if there are issues inside or between unions.
The legislation mandates mediation, conciliation, and arbitration.
The court said, “The only way you can express your disagreement is to approach the appellate court, which ASUU has opted to do, since the court concluded that this is a commercial dispute and that there was no reference to the IAP.”
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