CRUTECH ASUU Still On Strike, Demands Payment Of Salaries

CRUTECH Academic Staff Union of Universities has lamented the non-payment of salaries of its members. The union, in a statement on Monday, decried the inability of the state government to meet the demands of the CRUTECH lecturers six months after they embarked on a strike.

It would be recalled that workers of the Cross River University Of Technology protested last November to draw attention to what they described as the neglect of the institution by the state government. Since that time, the action had paralysed academic and social activities in the school.

The ASUU leaders, who noted that lecturers at CRUTECH withdrew their services due to non-payment of their salaries, said academic activities would not resume in the school until the authorities paid their outstanding four months salaries.

In the statement signed by the ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Nsing Ogar; Chairman of ASUU, CRUTECH, Dr. Stephen Ochang; Chairman, ASUU, University of Uyo, Dr. Aniekan Brown; his University of Calabar counterpart, Dr. Tony Eyang; and the Chairman of ASUU, Abia State University, Mr. Ochi Ejimofor, the union blamed the Cross River State Government for crisis plaguing CRUTECH.

The statement read, “We demand the immediate payment of arrears of the four month (December, 2014 – March, 2015) salaries. The union is also demanding the release of a special grant of N2.3bn to enable the university to pay sundry arrears owed staff as well as increase the monthly subvention to the university from N169m to N250m for effective running of the university.

“Other demands include the release of adequate funds to the university for NUC accreditation visit while staff salaries (including deductions) should at least be paid latest by 30th of every month.”