ABSU Staff Unions Embark On Indefinite Strike

All staff-based unions in Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU) have embarked on indefinite strike action over non-payment of the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salaries (CONUASS) agreed between the Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) last year, by the state government.

  Besides the salary impasse, the unions are also bitter that their members were owed allowances amounting to N1 billion since 1998. They siad staff of the institution were still paid pre-2007 salary structures, which have twice been reviewed upwards.

  Leaders of the union told newsmen in Umuahia that their colleagues in other state-owned universities in the South East have embarked on similar strike as directed by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). This, they said is sequel to the refusal of the South East governors to implement the 2009 FGN/Staff Unions’ agreements as they were in a collective struggle to save education in the region from total collapse.

  Chairman of ABSU ASUU, Dr. George Chima, who spoke on behalf of the coalition of unions, said all other zones, except the South East implemented the 2009 Federal Government/ASUU agreement, adding the reasons being tendered by the governors were not tenable.

The other unions are Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

  He lamented that the South East, which set the pace in the establishment of state universities, was retrogressing, pointing out that refusal by the state governors to pay the new salary would make the state universities in the zone inferior to others in the country, noting that university education was all about quality.

  “It is, however, regrettable and disappointing that while other state-owned universities in the South-South, South West, North East, North West and North Central geo-political zones in the country have implemented the agreements, state universities in the South East (Igbo State) including our own God’s own university, (ABSU) have refused to implement it,” Chima said.

 “The implication of the government-induced closure of these South East State universities, as they are now, are too numerous to recount. The quality staff in these affected South-East universities will have no choice than to migrate to other areas for greener pastures.

  “At a time when the South-East is battling to redeem her image deeply enmeshed in rampant cases of kidnapping, armed robbery and other anti-social vices, allowing the students of these universities to remain out of academic activities imply encouraging an upsurge of these anti-social vices since the idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” Dr Chima explained. 

  He said the South East universities would permanently lose its quota of graduates for the National Youth Service Corps, admission into the Law School, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

  The unions appealed to the public, particularly Ndigbo, to prevail on the South East Governors to rescind their decision not to implement the  2009 FGN/ASUU agreements in their state universities.

  Present at the briefing were Comrades Frank Nwosu (SSANU), Chima Nwokocha (NAAT) and Elder Sylvester Ohaike (NASU).

  Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to mobilize students of state universities to the streets against some state governors in protest of on-going strike action by lecturers in state universities.

  Public Relations Officer (PRO) of  NANS, Zone B, Comrade Chinedu Osuagwu, blamed the South East governors for non-implementation of new the salary structure for the staff of the universitieswhich prompted lecturers to go on strike.