The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has warned the Academic Staff Union of Universities that it will be charged with contempt of court if it fails to end its eight-months old strike.
Ngige issued the warning on Friday during an interview on Channel TV.
Appeal Court in Abuja had ordered the striking university union to shelve it’s strike and resume classes with immediate effect.
The Appeal court ruling was a dismissal to the union’s application for a stay of execution of an earlier ruling of the National Industrial Court directing the university lecturers to resume work.
However, ASUU’s National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said the union will review the courts injunction before deciding its next line of action.
Ngige who had accused of hurting the negotiation process between the FG and ASUU during the interview said his labour controllers will monitor ASUU’s compliance to the court order at all tertiary institutions across the states.
He said, “The court says ASUU must obey today (Friday). I have asked labour controllers in the 36 states and the zones to reach out to the universities; number one, to see if the vice chancellors have opened the gates because that is one of the imports of the judgment of the Industrial Court.
“You must open the gates, you must open the class rooms and to see whether those workers, those teachers reported today, tomorrow Friday and Saturday. My labour controllers will write me a report.
“The Education Ministry through the NUC will also do their bit and we will compare it. By Tuesday, if they have complied with this, first, they will have the right to appeal as the court says.
“If they come back to their classroom, they will have time to attach evidence and do their appeal. My labour controllers will also give me things to support education in the country. If they don’t, go and read that portion of the NICN Act, they will be charged for contempt,” he said.
