The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) University of Calabar branch have commenced a two-week total industrial action to press home their demand for better working conditions of service.
The strike is a result of the directive by the national body and subsequent adoption of a motion by the majority of members supporting the action during an emergency congress.
This development has crippled both academic and administrative activities in the university as most of the members were seen removing their personal items from offices in readiness for the strike.
Speaking shortly after a Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting at the institution on Monday, the SSANU Chairman, Emmanuel Otu, said the strike is total and that “if for whatever reason the university management wants their services, they must be a form of negotiation and monetary commitment between now and four days time.”
Otu said a monitoring team would be set up after to check recalcitrant staff who may want to go against their orders.
He listed some of their grievances to include inconsistency in IPPIS payments, non-payment of Earned Allowances, delay in the renegotiation of the SSANU/NASU/FG agreement since 2009 and non-payment of arrears of minimum wage and its consequential adjustment.
Others are the occupation of the headship of non-teaching departments by Academic Staff such as Students’ Affairs, SIWES, academic planning, directorate of business operations on campus) and ICT as well as negligence and poor funding of state universities