By Ike Uchechukwu,Calabar
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Calabar Chapter has protested 6 years of unpaid salaries and entitlements by the institution.
The ASUU members who converged in their numbers at the UNICAL International Conference Centre were demanding unpaid salaries by the University.
It was gathered that some of the placards used by the protesting lecturers carried inscriptions like “pay our CES arrears, pay our GSS arrears, pay our post graduate thesis supervision, pay our promotion arrears, pay our study fellowship and conference attendance arrears”.
Speaking during the protest, John Edor, Chairman of ASUU, UNICAL chapter said the unpaid salaries and arrears range from between 4 to 6 years depending on the sub head.
He said they have been asking for their arrears for long but the COVID-19 pandemic and IPPIS monster have compounded their “vagaries”.
Edor said :”Our grievances are that for a number of years now members of ASUU, University of Calabar Chapter have been working and our entitlements have not been paid to us.
“Such entitlements include teaching of GSS Courses, Graduate Thesis Supervision Allowance, CES Courses, Sandwich programmes, Pre-degree and promotion arrears.
“Some of our members had been employed and they commenced payment of their salaries but a backlog of their salaries is left unpaid and that is what we call salary arrears.
“We have been asking for our entitlements for long but the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded our vagaries and vissititutes.
“The lock down has made it impossible for us to go and source for other legitimate means of livelihood to feed our families.
“The protest is only the beginning and if our entitlements are not paid, we will commence an Operation Occupy UNICAL”
