From Desmond Mgboh,Kano
Non – teaching staff of Bayero University,Kano, Tuesday organised a peaceful protest against the failure of the Federal Government to honurr a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it entered with their Unions.
Drawn from the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, Non – Academic Staff Union of Educational Institutions as well as members of Organised Labour, the workers converged at the Senate Building of the University, chanting various solidarity songs and delivering speeches.
In his address, the Chairman of SSANU, Bayero University Chapter, Dr Haruna Aliyu explained that the peaceful protest followed a directive by the National Joint Action Committee of the two unions to that effect. .
He listed the challenges they faced to include inconsistencies in the IPPPS payment; non-payment of earned allowances; non-payment of arrears of Minimum Wage; delay in renegotiation of FG/NASU and SSANU 2009 Agreements and non -payment of retirement benefits to retired members.
He also held as challenges the issue of the teaching staff usurping the headship of non-teaching units in clear violation of the conditions of service and establishment procedures; including the issue of the poor funding of state universities.
“It was only yesterday, that the Federal Government fulfilled one of our demands, which is the constitution of Visitation Panels for Universities,” he said.
On his part, the Chairman of NASU, Comrade Abdullahi Nasiru Rafi said the non-teaching staff unions would not fold their arms and allow government play to the gallery with their demands, noting that if government continued to renege on agreements reached, they would be left with no option but to embark on an indefinite strike
The Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Professor Abbas said non-teaching staff members were critical stakeholders of the University adding that their work could not be done by any other staff.