The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU) chapter has asked the university’s management and governing council to address their demands to avert looming industrial action.
The union also sought Bauchi State governor Bala Mohammed’s urgent intervention to address the issues at stake and improve the quality of the university system through global best practices.
Comrade Auwal Nuhu, chairperson of ASUU Sa’adu Zungur University, a Bauchi State-owned varsity, issued the warning during a stakeholders meeting involving the university community at the Yuli Campus.
“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 university’s management and governing council to no avail. None of them replied to our communications, and we wonder if they genuinely want to improve the university by following 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 have enabled him to have firsthand information about the issues affecting the university’s staff.
“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 patiently pushing for solutions to the issues at stake,” he explained.
Comrade Nuhu said issues concerning the absence of a pension scheme for the university staff, the non-implementation of 30 and 35 percent salary adjustments, and unpaid earned academic allowances had not been addressed since the inception of the varsity, leaving them to work in uncertainties.
Despite numerous letters from the university council to the state government, he expressed frustration over ignored demands.
“Instead of addressing existing problems, management of the university is planning to recruit additional lecturers, which will add to the already compounding issues,” he said.
The chairperson emphasised that if their demands are unmet, they will embark on strike after 14-16 years of avoiding local demands.
Speaking, comrade Ahmad Mukaila, a leader of the university’s Student Union Representatives, urged all parties concerned to address ASUU’s demands for effective service delivery.
“We sympathise with our hardworking lecturers, believing that they deserve better welfare and conducive working conditions to impart knowledge to us and develop both Bauchi and Nigeria through innovation and invention,” he said.
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