The striking members of the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff and the USP Staff Union are calling on the USP Council to take immediate action and suspend Vice Chancellor Pal Ahluwalia pending investigations.
USP Staff Union General Secretary, Reuben Colata says they want action as they are seeing deliberate delays.
They say they are protesting because of the ongoing poor leadership at the University.
The unions have expressed deep dissatisfaction following the recent release of the Special Council meeting outcome, which they say misleadingly framed serious grievances as mere HR issues to be investigated rather than investigating Ahluwalia.
The unions say they are clear : Vice Chancellor Ahluwalia must be removed as no credible investigation can take place as long as he remains in control of the institution.
They find it unacceptable that a person under investigation for leadership failures is still allowed to continue in the role as this is gross poor governance.
The unions say they have been raising concerns for months regarding the Vice Chancellor's management of the University and disclosed in an independent Report on his performance to the Council in November 2023.
The two unions say while they respectfully waited for the Special Council to act, the outcome from the Secretariat is ambiguous and fails to honestly reflect the core issue – Vice Chancellor Ahluwalia’s leadership that is running the University into the ground.
They say it has now been almost four weeks since the Special Council 2024 meeting, and the Terms of Reference for the independent investigation have yet to be finalized.
The unions says the Council Secretariat, which reports directly to the Vice Chancellor, has failed to move the process forward, raising concerns about alleged deliberate manipulation to stall the investigation.
They say it is important to note that even when the Terms of Reference is approved, the expressions of interest need to be called; the appropriate Council Committee needs to meet, select and appoint the most appropriate applicant before the investigation can begin.
They add this failure in finalizing the terms of Reference means further delays in calling for expressions of interest and convening of the Council Committee to brief the successful applicant.
The unions say this delay is unacceptable, especially given that it was agreed that the investigation report be presented to the November 2024 Council meeting.
They say at this rate, it is evident that the process is being deliberately manipulated and stalled.
The Unions are calling for the immediate suspension of the Vice Chancellor in accordance with USP policy to ensure a timely, fair and transparent investigation.
As the situation stands, the staff members say they are frustrated and determined to take action until real accountability is achieved.
The staff unions say they are committed to restoring the integrity of USP and ensuring that the leadership is held to the highest standards for the benefit of the institution and its key stakeholders, both staff and students.
The University of the South Pacific says it understands that the two unions concerned have decided to go on strike from today, and during this time, support for their students remains their utmost priority.
The University says they will endeavour to ensure that disruptions to services are minimal.
We have sent questions to USP and Education Minister, Aseri Radrodro. They are yet to respond.
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