COPPERBELT University Academics Union has called for the resignation of the institution’s current management for failing to pay lecturers their December 2017 salaries.

In a statement released yesterday, CBUAU secretary general Willie Ngosa stated that if schools were to open next week, management should pay salaries for its lecturers.

“We are calling upon the current CBU management to resign on moral ground because they have failed to run the affairs of CBU for the past four (4) years. We further demand that our December 2017 salaries be paid with immediate effect. If salaries are not paid by Friday, then schools will not be opened on Monday,” Ngosa stated.

He stated that management had failed to run the affairs of the university because they did not know what to do. Ngosa added that it was sad that CBU lecturers had never been paid on time even when those in government had been stealing public funds meant to develop the Zambian economy.

He stated that if the government did not have money to pay lecturers at the university, it should change the current management to one which was capable of raising funds to pay the lecturers.

“(CBUAU) would like to express our displeasure over the non-payment of December 2017 salaries for Copperbelt University workers. We are extremely disappointed that members of staff could be taken for granted by those in CBU management and those in Government by ignoring the plight of CBU staff. For the past four (4) years, CBU employees have been turned into crybabies because of bad managers who are running the affairs of CBU. Employees at CBU have never known early payment of their salaries for the past 4 years. This is unacceptable and inhuman to say the least. Government must fund higher education institutions because they have no excuse for not doing so,” stated Ngosa.

“Public resources which could have been going to critical sectors in the economy are being stolen day and night. The Auditor General’s report is testimony to that. And we, as members of staff, are now paying the price of the theft of public resources by a few selfish individuals. Government has allowed CBU to be run by bad managers who have no idea what to do to address the financial challenges that the Institution is facing. This is why, 2015, we protested and demanded that this current management, which has failed, be replaced by prudent managers. By now, the whole country knows that we have been vindicated and that our call for the removal of this current management was genuine.”