Union decry non-implementation of annual pay increase, others in Bauchi

Story from Beatrice EARLAND, Bauchi

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the academic and non-academic staff unions of Bauchi State Tertiary Institutions has lamented the non-implementation of promotion, annual increment of salary, and consequential adjustment for its staff.

The union made the lamentation in a statement issued by its Chairman, Mr Abdulkadir Mohammed in Bauchi on Thursday.

The union, which explained that some of their colleagues in other Colleges and Polytechnics were comfortably enjoying all these entitlements, said that some of its members had also been persistently omitted from the payroll.

The statement added that despite the genuineness of its members’ appointments and the verifications they had undergone without indictment.

“Series of observations have been forwarded on their cases to the appropriate authorities but to no avail.

“It is our belief that most of these problems are compounded by some invisible consultants against the initial good intention of His Excellency, Governor Bala Mohammed, of cleansing ghost workers from the state payroll, without jeopardizing any genuine civil servants.

“The state government should note that our promotion in the tertiary institutions is not just tied to a waiting period, it involves conference presentations, journal publications, chapter publications and book publications.

“It also involves registration with professional bodies, community development, and stagnation without additional degrees, all of which are capital intensive and cause financial stress, especially with the devaluation of our currency and unprecedented inflation.

“Moreover, the highest-ranking staff are the pillars in achieving our accreditations at both NCE, National Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Undergraduate programmes,” it said.

The statement, however, called on the state government to ensure that all its members with outstanding January to March 2022 salaries be paid immediately.

It further stated that all its members owing salaries from 2019 to December 2021 should be settled within the month.

“All cleared cases should remain stable as JAC can no longer accommodate temporary clearance.

“Any problem established should appropriately be communicated to the concerned staff for rectification”, said the union.

The union consists of leadership from the state’s five higher institutions which include; Adamu Tafawa Balewa College of Education, Kangere, A.D. Rufa’i College of Education, Legal and General Studies, Misau.

Others are: Aminu Saleh College of Education, Azare; Bauchi State College of Agriculture, Bauchi, and Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi.