The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will thursday meet with the federal government team to find ways of resolving the dispute between the two parties.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, confirmed this to THISDAY in a text message last night, saying the government has invited the union leaders for talks.

“Yes, we have invited them for Thursday afternoon by 2p.m,” Ngige said.

However, ASUU said it would formally serve the federal government a notice of its commencement of two-week warning strike.

THISDAY gathered from one of the leaders of the union yesterday that ASUU was also sending a formal protest letter to the federal government to articulate its position on some issues, including the recent dispute over Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) enrollment.

The union had on Monday asked its members in federal universities across the country to immediately commence a warning strike in response to the government’s decision to stop the February salaries of lecturers who have not registered on the salary payment platform.

While giving an update on the union’s action, ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, told THISDAY yesterday that based on the resolution reached at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Monday, the union would send a letter of notice of warning strike to the federal Ministry of Education.

But a ministry official who confided in THISDAY said once the government gets ASUU’s notice of the strike, the matter would be referred to the Ministry of Labour and Employment for negotiations to commence.

THISDAY gathered that in line with the rules of engagement for labour dispute resolution, the Ministry of Labour and Employment would be expecting the ASUU’s notice of strike for it to wade into the matter.

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, had held a meeting with Ngige, in response to ASUU’s declaration of warning strike on Monday.

Source: This day