By Victor Ahiuma-Young

INDICATIONS emerged, yesterday, that 104 Unity Schools, also known as Federal Government Colleges, FGCs, across the country may not resume on Monday, September 22, as workers in the schools, Federal Ministry of Education, FME, and Inspectorate Departments, planned to Monday begin an indefinite strike alleged refusal by the management to honour the agreement reached with the workers through their union, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, on outstanding labour issues.

According to investigation, among the pending labour issues are the non-payment of promotion arrears from 2007-2010 and the balance for 2011 as well as the non-payment of salaries to some members of staff for the months of July, August, September and October, 2013.

Vanguard gathered that a meeting of all concerned stakeholders of the union in the FME and the 104 Unity Colleges has been fixed for Friday 19th September 2014 to map out final strategy for the strike.

Confirming the planned strike, in a statement yesterday, Secretary General of ASCSN, Mr.Alade Bashir Lawal, said “By this decision, the 104 Federal Unity Colleges will not re-open for the next academic session scheduled to begin on the 22nd of September 2014.”

The Union expressed sadness over the inability of the government to address all outstanding labour issues and particularly the non-payment of promotion arrears from 2007-2010 and the balance for 2011 as well as the non-payment of salaries to some members of staff for the months of July, August, September and October, 2013. Records available to the union indicate that the Ministry had collected the money meant for the settlement of these arrears from the Federal Ministry of Finance.

According to the union, “it is very unfortunate that the government called the union’s bluff despite the ultimatum given to it to implement the agreement entered into on or before the 12th of September, 2014 or face industrial action. The failure of the government to follow through its promise in a meeting that the government was calling the shots is quite disheartening and unfortunate because a government that often breaks its words can never be trusted.”