Workers across state owned Tertiary Institutions in Abia State are set to down tools from Wednesday, 18 March, after the Joint Unions of Tertiary Institutions in Abia announced a three day warning strike over the State Government's continued failure to implement the 2024 Consolidated Salary Structure.
The Unions disclosed the planned action in a statement issued in Umuahia on Tuesday, stating that all avenues for dialogue with the government had been exhausted without result.
The Institutions affected by the strike include Abia State University, Uturu; Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu; and Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Aba.
The Unions involved are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, the Academic Staff Union, the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Nigeria, and the Nigerian Association of Academic Technologists.
The group described the government's inaction as "unacceptable" and an "economic injustice" to workers, warning that the three day action would escalate into an indefinite strike if the salary structure remains unaddressed.
"We remain open to sincere dialogue and immediate implementation of the salary structure to restore industrial peace and stability within the tertiary education sector in Abia. We urge the Abia Government to treat this matter with the seriousness and urgency it deserves," the statement read.
The development adds to a growing list of industrial disputes in Nigeria's state owned tertiary institutions, where salary implementation delays have repeatedly triggered work stoppages in recent years.
