Members of Academic Staff Union of the University, University of Calabar chapter, on Wednesday, staged a protest over non-payment of allowances in the institution.
The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions such as, “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,” moved round the institution singing solidarity song.
Speaking during the protest, John Edor, Chairman of ASUU, UNICAL chapter, said the unpaid salaries and arrears ranged from 4 to 6 years, depending on the sub-head.
His words, “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 lockdown has made it impossible for us to go and source for other legitimate means of livelihood to feed our families”, Edor said, adding that the protest was only the beginning and if their entitlements were not paid, they will commence an “Operation Occupy UNICAL.”