The academic and non-academic staff unions of Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, have been absent from their workplaces due to the inability of the state government to pay their outstanding 11 months of salary arrears.

The workers, through their various union leaders, had given the school’s management a deadline of December 31 to pay off the owed salary arrears.

Our correspondent reports that due to the ongoing industrial action by the staff, the students of ABSU have not yet resumed studies after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

However, there are rumours that some lecturers have promised to conduct classes for their students to make up for the lost weeks.

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu chapter, Dr. Chidi Mbah, confirmed in an interview that the industrial action was due to the 11 months’ salary arrears owed to members of the union.

Mbah said: “We are on strike based on numerous issues, especially because of the unpaid 11 months’ salary arrears.

“It cuts across 2011, 2012, and 2022. Although since the incumbent government has come to power, they have been up and doing; they have been releasing subventions for the university to augment.

“However, we know that the subvention isn’t enough because the wage bill is about ₦320m while the state government releases ₦100m per month which was what he inherited from his predecessor.

“But since he (Otti) came onboard, he has been releasing that money regularly but we have a deficit of ₦220m.

“According to the management, the revenue generated by the school to augment whatever that the state government gives, unfortunately, isn’t enough to pay all staff because of the high level of payment that we have at the epic of the staff level.

“Since the assumption of the new government, we have not been owed salaries as per se, although the December salary was paid some two weeks ago; some have received, while others are yet to receive theirs.

“Government is a continuum, we have already written both the state government and the management since September 26.

“We told them that we would down tools if nothing was done till December 31. That was why we now embarked on the strike.”

“We are not fighting the management nor the state government, we only want the state government to hear our voice. We want them to know that we are in pain; things are more well with us. They should come to our aid.

“We were supposed to meet with the state government if not for the date that coincided with the Supreme Court’s judgment and since that time, we have not been able to secure another meeting date with the state government.

“However, we have x-rayed all circumstances and have called for an emergency congress to x-ray events and look at the way forward.

“It is either to listen to the governor and suspend the strike or to continue with the strike.

“The governor since coming onboard has been paying our subventions and has shown goodwill by inviting us for discussion.” (The Nation)

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