From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Taraba State University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has commenced a comprehensive and indefinite strike over non-payment of the minimum wage and other pending issues.
A statement issued in Jalingo on Thursday and signed by the Chairman of the Chapter, Dr Joshua Mbave, indicates that the strike has become the last resort of the union since the management of the university and the state government have continuously failed in their commitments.
This strike is coming at a time when students are writing their second-semester exams, and some are expected to graduate in a few days’ time.
Mbave noted in the statement that “The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Taraba State University Chapter (ASUU-TSU), wishes to inform the public that it has commenced a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike action, effective immediately. This action has become inevitable due to the failure of the university management and the government to address critical welfare and institutional issues, despite being granted a 30-day relief period that expired on July 4, 2024, as requested by the government.”
He stated that the unresolved issues include the lack of a Pension Scheme, non-payment of Salary Backlog, failure to constitute a Governing Council, and non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
He further states that “The exclusion of academic staff from the implementation of the National Minimum Wage is both unjustifiable and utterly unacceptable. It is an affront that the university is still operating under the outdated 2009 university salary structure. Shockingly, the N30,000 National Minimum Wage of 2019 was never implemented at the university, despite being applied across all other tertiary institutions in the state.”
“Even more egregious is the failure to implement the 25%-35% salary adjustment of 2023 for public universities. To compound this injustice, the N70,000 National Minimum Wage of 2024 has conspicuously excluded the university once again, despite the submission of necessary documentation by the university to the Head of Service of Taraba State through the Implementation Committee on the National Minimum Wage of 2024.”
The statement further mentions that inadequate funding of the university, as enshrined in the law establishing the university, has severely affected its smooth operation.