Striking SSANU workers denied access to Taraba varsity facilities

The wrangling in the Taraba State University has taken a different dimension as the striking non-academic staff was denied access to the school facilities.

This was observed as the union’s general congress scheduled to take place in one of the halls ended up taking place under one of the numerous trees located in the university premises.

The non-academic staff of the university made up of both the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the Non-academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (NASU) under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee, Taraba State University chapter, it would be recalled have downed tools for the past one month as a result of what they described as “injustice”.

Among the numerous injustice they alleged are being meted out on them by both the school management and the state government include selective payment of both promotion arrears and others.

Displaying various inscriptions in placards, they asked the school authorities to cease running the institution as a private university.

Led by the SSANU Chairman, Linus Williams, the need for the management of the institution to stop politicizing the ongoing strike and do the needful to end the strike, they said, has become necessary for the growth of the school which was recently rated among the 20 best universities in the country.

Rather than addressing the union’s demand, the management of the school, according to the union, is intimidating and harassing the members, the action which they vowed would not cow them into suspending their strike.

Visibly dejected by the “ill attitudes” of the school management to the members, Williams said “as you can see, we are under a tree. We have applied twice for a venue for our congress and any time we applied, our request is turned down by the management.

“It has never happened in this university before. Even students do have access to some classes for their meetings. But here are we, as staff of this institution, been denied access to any building for our congress.”

Wondering why nobody has engaged them in dialogue since the commencement of the strike, he could not fathom why the management is now calling on them to suspend the strike.

Both the school registrar, Professor Joseph Bibino, and the school spokesperson, Mallam Sanusi Sa’ad, declined comment on the matter.