SSANU Suspends Strike

SSANU Suspends Strike

Sunday, 13 October 2013 00:00 From Lawrence Njoku (Abuja) and Kanayo Umeh (Enugu) 

As Court Refuses To Vacate Order On ASUP
THE Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has announced the suspension of its weeklong strike.
The suspension of the strike is contained in a statement issued Friday in Abuja and signed by the association’s National Secretary, Mr. Promise Adewusi.
SSANU had embarked on a strike to agitate for the payment of August and September subventions to university workers by the federal government.
SSANU disclosed that the decision to suspend the strike was informed by the federal government’s compliance with the association’s demands.
“Following substantial compliance with our demand for the payment of August and September salaries of our members, which is the reason for our current national strike action, we hereby suspend the strike and direct all our members to return to their duties with effect from Monday, the October 14, 2013.”
The association expressed appreciation to its members for their solidarity, adding that the non-payment of the salaries of its members for work done would not happen again.
Meanwhile, a National Industrial Court, sitting in Enugu, on Friday, refused to vacate an injunction it granted against the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu chapter.
The court presided by Justice Awal Ibrahim refused to hear the counsel to ASUP.
Counsel to the Institute of Management and Technology, Chioma Egbuniwe had objected to the appearance of the ASUP counsel, arguing that apart from filling their processes out of time, the defendants were also yet to file their memorandum of appearance.
Her objection followed an attempt by counsel to ASUP, E.W. Orji, to pray the court to vacate the existing injunction, on the grounds that the union had suffered much injustice as a result of the ex-parte injunction.
However, Egwuniwe told the court that it would be foul of the relevant laws to hear any prayer from the defendant even when they were yet to regularise their processes before the court.
The court had earlier granted an “order for interim injunction restraining the defendants and members of the 4th defendant (ASUP), their agents, servants, privies, no matter how so constituted or persons acting for and on their behalf from convening and or holding the meeting of the 4th defendant or any union meeting whatsoever during the office hours of the claimant between 8am and 4pm Mondays to Fridays pending the hearing of the motion on notice filed in this suit.
The Judge agreed with the claimant’s counsel and adjourned the matter to October 31, 2013, to enable both parties file and respond to processes.