ASUU and Senate representatives have refused to shift grounds on the impending long industrial strike action crippling the educational sector.
An attempt by the Senate to bring to an end the lingering crisis between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government, failed on Monday after an eight-hour meeting between both sides was deadlocked according to Premium Times.
The two sides failed to agree on lecturers’ earned allowances. The chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund, Jibrin Barau, disclosed this Monday night in Abuja.
The Senate had last Tuesday resolved to mediate between the Federal Government and ASUU. The lecturers want improved pay and work conditions.
ASUU declared a warning strike a day before the Senate’s resolution, complaining about the failure of the government to implement terms of the 2009 and 2013 agreements. The strike ends Wednesday amid fears of a looming indefinite strike.
Monday’s meeting with the union resolved all issues except earned allowances, Mr. Barau, APC Senator representing Kano South, said.
“You can see that we’ve been talking for about eight hours,” said Mr. Barau.
“We have deliberated and, thanks to God, we have resolved all the issues; we have agreed on all issues except one.
“It is about the earned allowances that need to be paid to the university lecturers. The government, due to paucity of fund, proposed a certain amount of money but ASUU thought otherwise; that the money was quite inadequate. The union said it was going back to its members, make consultations and get back to us. We do hope they will come back with good news.”
He however could not say when the next meeting to resolve pending issues would hold.