BU staff on indefinite strike

This time, the non-teaching staff of Bangalore University have struck bringing all administrative work to a grinding halt. A letter from the Vice-Chancellor N Prabhu Dev on Wednesday evening stating that one of their key demands will be fulfilled failed to convince them.

Pressing for their nearly two dozen demands, more than 1,000 BU employees or 90 per cent of the total non-teaching workforce are on an indefinite strike which began on Monday.

Consequently, work in the sections of examination, administration and finance snapped.

“Awful” conditions

“We have been coping with awful work and service conditions without the most basic facilities like toilet and clean drinking water. Many of us have put in more than 25 years of service but got little in return. When our repeated attempts to draw the attention of the authorities failed, we decided to snap work,” an office-bearer of the BU Non-teaching Employees Association said.

Criticising V-C N Prabhu Dev for being “indifferent”, the employees alleged that no top BU official came forward to listen their grievances.

“Whenever we plead with them to consider our demands, they ask us to co-operate. Now, we can no longer bear it,” another employee said.

V-C speaks

On his part, the Vice Chancellor said he issued orders to promote agitating employees belonging to six different categories.

“After discussing the matter with our legal advisors, the order was issued. Besides, a Syndicate Sub-Committee, to be headed by Zahida Mulla, has been formed to go into the demands for promotion of employees based on their seniority,” Dev told Deccan Herald.