Nigeria's umbrella union NLC to protest in support of striking public university teachers

The Nigeria Labour Congress announced Sunday, plans to start a two-day nationwide protest on July 26, in solidarity with the striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions in the public universities.

In a statement shared onlline, the NLC says the strike's aim is "to get our children back to school" and support the "union in Nigeria's public universities fighting for quality education."

Influential NLC union was constituted as the only national federation of trade unions in Nigeria back in 1978. It called workers to fully mobilized and march in all state capitals of Nigeria and Abuja for a protest, they say, is in favour of "good governance".

Negotiation meeting

The current strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities started on February 14. What was announced as one-month warning strike, was followed by another eight-week strike before turning into an indefinite strike which lead to the imposition of No-Work-No-Pay by the federal government.

President Muhammadu Buhari repeated calls to ASUU to reconsider its position were not heard.

Despite negotiations with the authorities, no compromise was reached. ASUU’s National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke urged Nigerians to support them in the struggle: "Nigerians should ask them when they will ask us to come and sign the report/agreement of the renegotiation meeting."

Some of the demands of the  ASUU are: the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, abrogation of the IPPIS scheme, deployment of the UTAS, payment of promotion arrears.

A previous strike was held by public universities teachers in 2020 and lasted nine months.