The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has said the federal government is working to see things done, as he is tired of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) always going on strike every time they disagree.
Ngige said this in a statement released on Monday in Abuja, Naija News reports.
According to Ngige, the federal government in its last meeting with the union in February had an understanding which both ASUU and Munzali committee (a committee set up by ASUU) bolted out of, due to some areas of disagreement.
However, he added that he had continued to use his labour instruments to see how they can get things done as the Federal Ministry of Education doesn’t feel the strike.
Ngige said: “As a conciliator, I have to make use of the labour instruments at my disposal. The bosses in the Federal Ministry of Education do not feel the strike. There are things that are above me.
“I am not the Minister of Education. I cannot go to the Education Minister and dictate to him how to run his place. But I told ASUU that they should be bombarding the Federal Ministry of Education for this to be moved forward.
“There are many ways to do so. If you go to the Labour Act, there is something called picketing. You can picket. A strike is an ultimate thing. Picketing means that you can stay in the corridor, clapping or singing. Workers are permitted to do so. But I am tired that every time there is a disagreement, it is a strike.
“And the bosses in the Federal Ministry of Education don’t feel the strike. It is the children and some of us, as parents, that have our children in public schools.”
This article was originally published on Nigeria News