SAU rejects demands of agitating employees

The administration of the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam has rejected the demands of agitating employees, describing them as unjust. The university has said that three employees of the action committee's have been issued final show cause notices under the Removal from Service Ordinance.
Addressing a news conference at the university, Registrar Riyasat Ali Kubar along with deans of the university's faculties spoke at length to defend the university against the accusations of disgruntles employees. He distributed a fact-sheet to the media, to show SAU's response to the employees' 39-point charter. The fact-sheet said that the demands had either been resolved, were not in accordance with university's rules or were under consideration.
Speaking about the employees' demands, the SAU administrator said that in January this year 15 demands were presented, followed by another 17 in February and now 39 demands are being floated showing that the employees don't have permanent problems.
The registrar accused the agitating employees of blackmailing and falling prey to their egos, which he said, was hampering a just solution to the crisis. Kubar said that the so-called union leaders avoided working and had levelled allegations against successive university administrations to derail the academic and examination processes. He added that this put the university's credibility at stake on the eve of convocations and international conferences.
"The university always takes decisions given budgetary allocations, but despite that, the VC has resolved important issues of employees," he said while referring to the upgrading of 200 technical staff members. To defend his point he also mentioned a raise in the employees' medical allowance which cost the university Rs 25 million, raise in pension/security guards' allowance and the regularisation of kitchen employees.
Kubar said that after the ban on unions in 2001, the said union formed a welfare trust that was not registered. "The present union leadership has always placed successive university heads in trouble and strikes beginning from April 1995 continue to date, off and on," he said. He questioned the operating method of the employees to impose strikes and claimed that those who don't follow the union were tortured. The SAU administrator defended his position and said that he was already in grade 19 to qualify for 20. He said that nowhere in projects are people appointed on a grade basis, as they always have fixed salaries provisions. Kubar rejected employee's claims about water conservation projects as well as the running of a private school, saying it was a no loss no profit project that was looked after by Dr Fateh Mohammad.
He also defended the appointment of Saghir Ahmed Sheikh, a close relative of the VC, saying he was appointed in an inter-disciplinary subject, which was approved by the university's syndicate. He said employees had mentioned incorrect references of personal relations of the VC in their appointments. Regarding a commission of Rs 160 million, he said that tenders were floated and the lowest bids were accepted after a negotiation process.
Kubar announced that attempts were made to defuse the situation, but employees were uncompromising on seeking the removal of the VC. He said that it was beyond the university's authority to give plots to 1600 employees and that three action committee leaders, including Hussain Bux Vessar, Karam Ali Punhoo, and Abdul Majeed Rashdi had been given final show cause notices under Removal from Service Ordinance.