The nationwide protest known as by the Educational Employees Union of College (ASUU) to demand the discharge of their three and half months salaries withheld by the federal authorities disrupted educational actions at Alex Ekwueme Federal College, Ndufu -Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State on Tuesday.
The Union additionally demanded the re-negotiation and implementation of the 2009 settlement between ASUU and the federal authorities.
The lecturers, who trooped out of their numbers have been seen marching spherical the 2 campuses of the College, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with numerous inscriptions to press house their calls for for improved situation of service.
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The protest which lasted for over 4 hours witnessed heavy presence of safety personnel who escorted the protesters to make sure that hoodlums didn’t hijack the peaceable protest.
The Chairperson of ASUU AE-FUNAI, Comrade Louis Omenyi, accused the federal authorities of paying lecturers “out of date and expired” salaries, describing it as unacceptable.
“No educational exercise will probably be permitted on this college immediately (Tuesday). We allowed our Vice Chancellor to be in workplace as a result of he’s a Comrade Vice Chancellor.
“Federal authorities of Nigeria should re-negotiate utterly, settle for and implement 2009 settlement with our union and the federal authorities.
“The salaries we’re getting is out of date and expired. We’re asking that our three and half months wage withheld by this depraved authorities ought to be launched instantly.
“We’re asking the federal authorities of Nigeria led by (President) Bola Ahmed Tinubu that if he permits universities to shut in Nigeria, we’ll do greater than Ghana. We’re asking that our withheld salaries ought to be launched,
“Our EAs ought to be mainstreamed into our salaries as he promised. We’re asking that college autonomy and educational freedom ought to be granted,” he mentioned.
Omenyi insisted that the lecturers rejected the Tertiary Establishment Employees Assist Mortgage (TISSF), including that, “it was meant to place us in chains like the scholars NELFUND that was additionally launched. That transfer will make each the lecturers and the scholars to not rescue one another.
“This so-called TISSF or higher known as” slavish mortgage “is the peak of the mockery. “It an insults to our sensibilities. A authorities that pays her workforce with outdated wage construction adopted 17 years in the past, will refuse to re-negotiate the identical wage since 2012 when it was due.
“Additionally they refused to launch three and half months salaries of the lecturers, refuse to remit third social gathering deductions for a number of the salaries paid virtually a 12 months in the past, refused to pay promotion arrears however selected to dangle an unattainable mortgage on the faces of devastated lecturers.
“We’re asking once more, how would authorities flip spherical to supply the impoverished employees inconceivable and slavish mortgage in a depressed economic system as an alternative of finishing formalities for implementation of a commensurate wage construction?
“How can a accountable authorities, within the face of those money owed owned college lecturers flip round to ask university-based unions to take the accountability of guaranteeing the mortgage she needs to supply to employees? Which wage will probably be used for the compensation?”, he queried.
