Medical lecturers at UNIUYO demand migration to CONMESS or risk 21-day strike

Etim Ekpimah

The University of Uyo medical lecturers have demanded improved salaries through migration to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) which had been approved by the university’s governing council.

According to them, there were inadequate medical lecturers and medical officers at the Health Centre working in the University. They added that the anomaly had caused their members immense stress and unnecessary workload.

In a communique jointly signed by Dr Aniekan Imo Peter, Chairman and Dr Unyime Ndoh, Assistant Secretary, on Wednesday in Uyo, they decried that the university was owing them three-and-a-half salaries.

Peter said the congress noted management contributed to the non-payment of medical lecturers by refusing to sign letters to the minister as requested, adding that it also noted that other medical schools were paid.

“That some Medical doctors who are University lecturers are not being migrated to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in line with the approval of the University of Uyo Governing Council. Also, the computed arrears have not been paid since 2016, as has been done in other Universities that migrated medical doctors to CONMESS.

“That there are grossly inadequate medical lecturers and medical officers at the Health Centre working in the University. This has caused immense stress and unnecessary workload on our members.

“That there is a protracted delay in the promotion of some medical lecturers with concurrent loss of remuneration, especially at this time of hardship in the country and mass exodus of medical doctors.

“Those medical lecturers are still being owed three and a half months’ salary, which was withheld during the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike of 2022. Congress noted that management contributed to the non-payment of medical lecturers by refusing to sign letters to the minister as requested. It also noted that other medical schools were paid,” the statement read.

The lecturers, however, urged the university management to migrate all medical doctors who were lecturers to the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in line with the approval of the University of Uyo Governing Council, with immediate payment of arrears, as applicable in some other federal Universities in Nigeria.

They advised the university management to conduct employment of lecturers in medical programmes in the university, as well as medical doctors in the University of Uyo Health Centre.

The communique read: “The immediate promotion of due medical lecturers in the University without further delay, with payment of promotion arrears to all medical lecturers.

“The immediate payment of the outstanding three-and-a-half-month salaries to Medical lecturers.

“That a 21-day ultimatum be issued to the management of the University of Uyo to implement all the demands

“That failure to implement those concerns, the Nigerian Medical Association will proceed on an indefinite strike without further notice to press down its demands.

“The leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State Branch, is willing and ready to meet with the University management at any convenient time within the 21-day window starting from the 2nd of April 2025.”