The Federal Government has pleaded with the Non-Teaching Staff of the Nigerian Universities to suspend the three months strike they embarked upon since December 10 2017.
Senator Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, made the appeal in a statement signed by Samuel Olowookere, the Director, Press in the ministry, on Tuesday in Abuja.
There had been conciliatory meeting with the Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities called at the instance of the minister.
The Non-Teaching Staff of Nigerian Universities operating under the acronym Joint Action Committee are made of the Non Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, Senior Staff Academic of Nigerian Universities and National Association of Academic Technologists.
NAN recalls that JAC had accused the Federal Government of breaching the agreement entered with the unions in September 2017 that had led to the suspension of the strike the unions embarked on.
The minister said the current administration was taking steps to permanently resolve all outstanding matters that disrupt academic activities in the universities.
He also said measures were being taken by the government to settle the trade dispute with the Joint Action Committee.
He, therefore, appealed to them to call off the strike.
Samson Ugwoke, the JAC Chairman, said the Federal Government had called for the reconciliatory to plead with the unions to call off the strike.
Ugwoke said JAC would summon a meeting tomorrow to brief its members with a view to calling off their strike.
The meeting, which had the leadership of the unions and the officials of the Federal Ministry of Education in attendance, deliberated exhaustively on all the outstanding issues raised by the unions.
