The Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU) Chapter, has warned both the management and governing council of the university to shelve plans to employ additional lecturers without addressing their demands to avoid looming industrial strike action.
Our correspondent reports that ASUU sought urgent intervention from Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed to address the issues at stake to further improve the quality of the university system in line with global best practices.
Chairperson of ASUU Sa’adu Zungur University, a Bauchi State-owned varsity, Comrade Auwal Nuhu, issued the warning during a stakeholders meeting involving the university community at the Yuli Campus.
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“Instead of addressing existing problems, the management of the university is planning to recruit additional lectures which will add to the already compounding issues.
“None of the parties involved would like any strike action but if we exhausted all possible negotiations means and there is nothing tangible to write home about, we have no option to go on strike to press home our demands to make the university system work effectively.
“We have written several letters to the management and governing council of the university to no avail. None of them replied to our communications and we wonder if truly they want to improve the university in line with global best practices.
“ASUU had also written several letters to the governor but we are not certain he received any of the letters which would enable him to have firsthand information about the issues affecting the staff of the university.
“It may interest you to know that since the establishment of this university about 13 years ago, we never went on an internal strike. We have been pushing for solutions to the issues at stake patiently,” he explained.
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Comrade Nuhu said issues concerning the absence of a pension scheme for the staff of the university, none implementation of 30 and 35 percents salary adjustments and unpaid earned academic allowance have been addressed since the inception of the varsity, leaving them to work in uncertainties.
He expressed frustration over ignored demands, despite numerous letters sent to the state government through the university council.
The Chairperson emphasised that if their demands are not met, they will embark on strike, after 14-16 years of avoiding local demands.
Speaking, one of the leaders of the Student Union Representatives of the university, Comrade Ahmad Mukaila urged all parties concerned to address ASUU’s demands for effective service delivery.
“We sympathise with our hardworking lecturers believing that they deserved better welfare and conducive working conditions to impart knowledge on us to develop both Bauchi and Nigeria through innovation and invention,” he said.
