53 staffers of the Benue State University (BSU) Science and Technical College have dragged the university and the state government to court for alleged maltreatment and unlawful transfer.
The staffers are groaning over the “inhuman treatment” meted out to them by the university authorities and the government of Benue state by withholding their salaries and allowances since July 1, 2010.
According to them, though they are employees of the state government, in 1997, the government merged them with the BSU where they were all treated and disciplined according to the university laws, discipline and salary scales until 2012 when they were asked by the government to join the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In the suit, they are seeking, amongst other issues, “an order of mandatory injunction directing or compelling the defendants to work out and pay to each of the plaintiffs his or her salaries and entitlements in accordance with their respective Benue State University salary scale for the remaining period of their contract with the defendants from the month of July 2010, they will reach compulsory retirement age of 60 years.”
Blueprint reports that the case which had dragged on for about two years now, was on in court yesterday, but the Presiding Judge, Justice, Wairi Abali, of the Makurdi Industrial Court, adjourned it till March 24, 2014, to rule on an interlocutory appeal by the plaintiffs seeking to join 17 of their other colleagues who had not joined at the initially stage.
