The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, Bauchi, chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Wednesday joined members of the union in other universities to embark on a one-week warning strike to press home their demands.
The ASUU Chairman, ATBU chapter, Mr Adamu Babayo told newsmen in Bauchi that the strike followed the decisions arrived at by the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, at its meeting in Abuja on Saturday.
Babayo said part of the union’s grievances include: the non -revitalization of nation’s universities’ autonomy and shortfall in staff salaries. He also listed the issues of staff primary schools and the non-implementation of the agreement it reached with the government in 2009 among their grievances.
Others, according to him, are: lack of registration of Universities Pension Company, NUPECO, and the non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances.
He said the Federal Budget Office had in January slashed the salaries of its members by six per cent.
The chairman said the union paid N1 billion for registration of its new pension scheme as demanded by the government but was refused registration.
Babayo said the union had refused to join the contributory pension scheme following malpractices witnessed during the 2015 general election when money realised was allegedly used to fund election campaigns.
He said the union was not comfortable with the current scheme because some of its members died in active service while their contributions disappeared, hence, the delayed in payment of allowances.
The chairman also kicked against the Bill on JAMB currently being debated at the National Assembly, saying “you cannot set rules for a body that you do not supervise.
“It is the right of the universities and not of JAMB to conduct post-JAMB screenings and other admission policies for candidates seeking provisional admissions,’’ he said.
NAN
Comments