The Plateau State University chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has commenced an indefinite strike, as it demands welfare and working environment.
In a statement jointly issued yesterday in Jos by the Chairperson and Secretary, Dr. Hassan Zitta and Deme Bitrus, respectively, ASUU said it made the decision to embark on the strike at its Congress held on Monday, December 20.
It complained that Plateau government had not kept to its agreement with the union, hence the decision for the strike
Issues bothering the institution bordered around insecurity and non-payment of earned allowances.
The union complained of paucity of accommodation for both students and staff and said government needed to construct more lectures halls, among others.
“At our congress held on Monday, Dec. 20, members reviewed the level of implementation of Plateau State Government/ASUU-PLASU agreement.
The congress, the statement said, resolved that the state government having signed an agreement with the Union on March 2, 2021 has not kept faith with the document. :
It said government had failed to “address security concerns by deploying the services of armed Civil Defence Corps”.
Also, the Plateau government had not located a functional police outpost in the university host community, just as it had been unable to settle the national minimum wage arrears within the first quarter of 2021.
The union accused the government of failing to immediately release the N70 million that was to be part payment of the first tranche of earned academic allowance arrears.
ASUU said as at the time of its congress, the second tranche of N72 million in October, 2021 was already long overdue.
The government was also accused of failing to complete the payment of mainstreamed earned academic allowances for the 2019/2020, among others.
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