BY SUZAN EDEH
Bauchi—Workers in the three tertiary institutions owned by the Bauchi State Government- Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, College of Education Azare and AD Rufa’I College for Legal and Islamic Studies, Misau, have embarked on indefinite strike over salary adjustment.

The strike which has paralysed all academic activities in the institutions, started as students were about to start their examinations.

Secretary of the Joint Action Committee of Academic and Non-Academic Staff Unions of the three institutions, Abdullahi Yelwa, told newsmen yesterday that “We decided to embark on the indefinite strike because of the failure of the state government to resolve the issues which had been lingering for nine months.”

He said: ’’the issues bordered on the implementation of the approved salary adjustment.”

Yalwa said initially the Federal Government had approved 53.3% increase on Consolidated Salary Structure but when they negotiated with the state government in February, Governor Isa Yuguda approved 40% on the conditions that the state would implement the remaining 13 percent when the economy improved.

However, he stressed that the economy had since improved but the state government failed to keep its promise to the workers.

“We held series of meetings with them until we arrived at a definite decision, but still the government refused to do what was expected of it, since March 2011.

’’We are now pushed to the wall, that is why we withdrew the three separate ultimatum given to them and embarked on the strike,”he said.