The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) chapter, on Tuesday, protested the pro-rata October salary payment and non-payment of 8-month salaries owed by the Federal Government.
The union directed lecturers to withhold examination results and not to participate in any department, faculty or senate council meetings to approve results until the government did the needful.
Speaking to newsmen in Nsukka after the protest, the chairman of ASUU-UNN, Christian Opata said the protest was to inform the university community of the inability of the government to pay ASUU backlog of 8-month salary and to protest the half-salary paid to members when the union suspended the strike on October.
“ASUU-UNN has directed its members not to release results of examinations conducted or participate in any department, faculty or Senate council meeting to approve results until the government does the needful.
“We will continue to teach but will not release results of any examination or allow the school senate to sit and approve any result.
“ASUU is saying no to the government policy of no work, no pay, but if the government insists on the policy, ASUU will not handle any academic activity that falls within the eight months that the suspended strike lasted.
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“ASUU wants the government to honour its agreement with the union since 2009 and stop further attempts that will keep students away from school,” he said.
The ASUU chairman described as unfortunate the attempt by the government to treat lecturers as labourers by using the so-called “pro-rata” format to pay them their October salary.
“This is the first time in the history of this country when university academic staff are paid as casual workers.
“An indication that the present administration in the country has no regard for education,” he said.
Opata threatened that if the government failed to do the needful; ASUU was determined to embark on what would be known in Nigeria history as mother of all strikes.
“If the government thinks that implementing the policy of no work no pay and withholding our salary will prevent us from embarking on strike again, it’s a big lie.
“If the government fails, very soon ASUU will return to indefinite nationwide strike in public universities,” Opata said. NAN
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