The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU), Ebonyi State University have embarked on Indefinite strike over failure of the school Management and the State government to meet their demands.
The Unions had earlier threatened to embark on industrial action over the crisis facing the workers’ welfare.
Among the welfare challenges facing the institution include; lack of promotion, irregular payment of monthly salaries, non-implementation of new national minimum wage, and payment of earned allowance among others.
Briefing journalists on Thursday, May 11, 2023, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU), Comr. Elias Odigbo and the chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, (NASU) Comr. Nwovu Michael revealed that the strike followed the expiration of the seven days notice of industrial strike, which began from May 4 to May 10, and communicated in the letters dated May 4, 2023 to the Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Stating ‘the congress in session deliberated extensively on the age long challenges confronting the Union which have been made known to you on several occasions. These problems bother on staff welfare and well being which has lasted for years.
‘The Union has employed every possible means such as dialogue, interfacing and through several letters to that effect. Unfortunately, all have fallen on the deaf ears of the management.
‘The Vice Chancellor made a fatherly promise that he will not leave office without addressing those problems. We had the confidence that he will not renege but here we are. We have kept on mentioning these problems.
They further revealed that, they are not at loggerheads with the State government but request the regular payment of staff monthly salary, the release of three months’ salary for the period of February, March and April, 2023. And that staff members’ should be promoted with the financial implementation since 2017 till date.
Emphasing that the 10 months balance of 20% salary deductions from staff salary between 2020 and 2021 should be paid.
Adding ‘we also demand for the payment of outstanding 11/2 months CONTISS arrears arising from 2009 FGN/Union’s agreement and the regular remittance of staff members’ contributory pension deductions with the employers’ part to the respective PFAs’.
‘We demand for release of already conducted staff conversion examination result for implement action which was said to be cancelled and the recovery of legacy fund contributed by staff trapped in Union Bank PLC since 2006.’
Lending his voice, the State Chairman National Association of Academic Technology (NAAT), lamented that workers subscribed for the National Housing Fund but regrettably, the money was deducted from their salaries but was not remitted until the portal was shutdown leaving Ebonyi State University as the only institution that did not register for the scheme.
He lamented how the institution has made lives unbearable for the workers in the refusal to pay salaries as at when due, as most workers are no longer credit worthy to borrow money from the bank.
‘We have many of our members in the mortuary, no money for them to be buried. Our children are out of school, many of us that are here are out of our houses, we can’t pay house rent and we must go to work every day.
‘We spend thousands going to work on empty stomach, we can’t access loan anywhere again. Unless they meet up our demand, we are at home otherwise let the school be closed for now,” he said.
The Voice gathered that the strike also affected the Primary and the Secondary school, as students were not allowed to enter the school premises for lectures.
