The joint congresses of the four in-house unions at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, have suspended the two-week warning strike they initiated on November 3.

This was announced in a statement signed by Saminu Salihu-Haiba, secretary of the UMYU in-house unions, on Thursday.

The unions included the Academic Staff Union, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the National Association of Academic Technologists, and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.

“We wish to inform the general public that, following a series of constructive engagements and negotiations with the committee set up by the state government, the unions have resolved to suspend the ongoing strike. The suspension of the two-week strike is with immediate effect to pave way for the pursuance and finalisation of mechanisms for sustainable industrial harmony in the university,” he said.

According to him, the decision was reached after the committee agreed to address the critical demands that led to the declaration of the two-week warning strike.

“The demands include: the suspension of the incursion and takeover of the university’s portal by a third-party company, agreement on the payment of appropriate salary structures for all staff in the university, and other issues in contention that are anchored around government policies.

“The committee’s commitment to ensuring the faithful implementation of the agreed terms, as captured in the memorandum of understanding jointly signed by all parties, was pivotal in arriving at this resolution. However, it’s important to note that one issue remains outstanding, which is the payment of the 34 months’ arrears owed to our members,” Mr Salihu-Haiba.

He explained that, in this particular matter, the chancellor of the university, Ibrahim Idah (Wazirin Katsina), had graciously intervened and personally appealed to the members to suspend the strike.

The unions’ secretary revealed that Mr Idah assured them that concrete steps would be taken to resolve the issue within a reasonable timeframe.

He stated, “In the spirit of respect, trust, and the chancellor’s credible assurance, our members have agreed to temporarily suspend action on this demand.

“The unions wish to appreciate the support, understanding, and commitment of the visitor to resolving the issues, the intervention of the chancellor, the critical and faithful efforts of the committee, and the patience and understanding for our students.”

(NAN)