By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University branch, has suspended its planned industrial action, giving the state government and university management until the end of October 2026 to implement agreements reached with the union.
The decision was reached at an emergency congress meeting held in Gombe on Friday night and contained in a resolution signed by the branch Chairperson, Dr Mustapha Shehu Muhammad, and Secretary, Dr Aliyu Umar Shelleng.
The congress, after deliberating on a letter from the Gombe State Government on the commencement of implementation of the new salary structure for workers in the university, as well as a memorandum of understanding reached with the university management on the payment of outstanding arrears and other entitlements, resolved to suspend the planned action.
The union, however, warned that it would resume the industrial action if the government and university management failed to honour the commitments contained in the relevant documents by the agreed deadline.
The development followed concerns earlier raised by the union over the non-implementation of several agreements and outstanding financial obligations to its members.
Speaking with Vanguard in Gombe on Thursday, the ASUU branch Chairperson, Dr Mustapha Shehu Muhammad, said the union had several grievances, which prompted its decision to issue a 14-day ultimatum to the state government.
According to him, one of the major issues was the non-implementation of the 2025 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government.
He said the branch had been directed by the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) to commence a total, comprehensive and indefinite industrial action upon the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum if its demands remained unaddressed.
Among the outstanding issues, Muhammad listed arrears arising from the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage, arrears of the 25/35 per cent wage award, non-implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and outstanding Earned Academic Allowances.
He explained that the decision to suspend the planned strike was aimed at giving the government and university management an opportunity to fulfil their commitments.
The branch, however, maintained that failure to implement the agreements would trigger the planned industrial action in line with the directive of the union’s national leadership.
The union therefore urged the state government and university management to take all necessary steps to implement the agreements within the stipulated period to avert disruption of academic activities at the institution.
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