Striking teachers of the Anambra State University of Technology on Saturday vowed that they would not to return to work until all their grievances were amicably resolved by the institution‘s management.
The Governing Council of the university had, on Friday, directed the teachers to resume work tomorrow (Monday). Academic activities in the ivory tower have been paralysed in the last four months due to the strike.
But addressing journalists in Awka on Saturday, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities in the institution, Dr. Jaja Nwanegbo, said the union had not suspended or called off its strike and therefore its members should not honour the council‘s directive.
Nwanegbo, who was flanked by other members of the executive committee, said the position of the union was informed by the failure of the council to document the proposal it made to the union.
He said, ”We have not called off our strike because the issues raised by us have not been resolved. The council has not been sincere and has been evasive in getting into an agreement with us.”
Nwanegbo said there were inconsistencies in the figures and percentages proposed by the council to the union, arguing that the union would not work on oral proposals.
He noted that based on the promised increased subvention to the university by the state government and the amount the council promised to raise internally, the union came out with an 87 per cent increase in salary.
The ASUU chairman, while expressing doubts about the sincerity of the pact, said the university management had altered the initial agreement promised by the state government.
According to him, the university council had agreed to pay 60 per cent salary increment, contrary to the 80 per cent promised by the state government.
The institution’s registrar had announced in a statement on Friday that the ivory tower would reopen on Monday, November 22.
But Nwanegbo said, ”It is not the Governing Council that should announce the reopening of the university. It is the Senate, represented sometimes by the Committee of Deans, that should do that.
”Again, contrary to the content of the announcement by the registrar, the council of elders did not direct lecturers to go back to work. They only appealed to us. They did not even tell us by how much the salary will be increased. They said they would communicate that to the Governing Council.”
The ASUU chairman wondered why the Governing Council, which has been collecting allowances based on the Federal structure, should insist that state university workers should not enjoy salaries negotiated with the Federal Government. |
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