UPDATED: ASUU joins NLC, TUC nationwide strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, two organised labour organisations, are currently on strike, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities has joined them.

This comes after the unions' demand for a minimum wage was not met by the federal government.

ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke instructed teachers at institutions throughout the nation to join the strike as an affiliate of the congress in a statement sent on Monday to branch chairpersons and zonal coordinators.

"The NLC has declared an indefinite strike action beginning on Monday, June 3, 2024," the statement stated. "This is due to the government's inability to reach an agreement on the renegotiation of the minimum wage for Nigerian workers and the reversal of the hike in electricity tariffs."

We hereby order our branches to participate in the strike as affiliated members of Congress.

As a result, branch chairs need to encourage every member to take part in the strike. In the struggle, yours.

Recall that ASUU had been considering going on strike in response to FG's refusal to name Federal Universities' Governing Councils.

The union also criticised the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government for what it perceived to be a callous attitude towards issues pertaining to academics at Nigerian Federal Universities.

During a news conference held at the University of Abuja, the body also criticised the university system's 25% pay increase for other academic staff members and 35% wage increase for professors.

The body declared that it considered the pay increase to be an award that the government can revoke at any time.

On June 22, 2023, the National institutions Commission declared that all federal institutions' governing councils as well as the boards of other organisations and parastatals in the nation will dissolve.

President Bola Tinubu had issued an identical directive three days prior, dissolving the boards of all government parastatals, agencies, and businesses, on which the NUC instruction was based.

Prior to this, the organisation made the decision to join the strike as an affiliate of the NLC, and it may do so even after FG works with the striking unions to address the minimum wage dispute.