UNIZIK to join ASUU warning strike

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka has said it will to join the one-week warning strike against the non-implementation of agreements reached in 2009 and 2013.
The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in the institution, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, told newsmen in Awka on Tuesday that it had constantly reminded the government of the need to implement the agreements.
Aribodor said that part of the agreements were the shortfall in salaries leading to payment of fractions of staff salaries in universities from December 2015 and non-payment of salaries in staff primary schools since December 2015 contrary to the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement.
Others are funding of universities for the revitalisation and registration of National University Pension Management Company, payment of earned academic allowances and non release of subvention to state universities by their visitors.
He also pointed out that budgetary allocation to education dropped from 12 per cent to 11 per cent and down to 8 per cent in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Aribodor said that the government was reluctant to set up its negotiation team for the review of the 2009 agreement as consistently requested by the union since 2012.
He said that the strike would be total and comprehensive
as there would be no teaching, no examination and no attendance at statutory meetings of any kind, among others.
He noted that chapters of the union which opted out of the national directive were moles targeted at destabilising the genuine agitation of the workers.
Aribodor said that those chapters would see the outcome of their “unpatriotic” action.