Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso branch, has commenced a two-week warning strike over 10 months salary arrears owed the workers.
The lecturers commenced the strike, on Wednesday, due to poor funding of the university by the Oyo and Osun States that jointly own the institution.
The industrial action was announced by the ASUU chairman, Biodun Olaniran and Secretary, Toyin Abegunrin, in LAUTECH, after the congress of the union. They said national body of the union approved the strike.
A statement issued at the end of the congress and signed by Olaniran and Abegunrin, the union noted that it signed a Memorandum of Action (MoA) with the Governing Council of the institution, which ended eight months strike embarked by the union last year, lamenting that the owner states have not fulfilled their own part of the deal.
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According to the statement, on February 13, 2018, the ASUU, LAUTECH branch signed the MoA with the Governing Council, which led to the suspension of the eight months old strike on the February 17, 2018.
“One of the fundamental clauses of the agreement is the promise of the GC that it will ensure that the governments (of Oyo and Osun states) will be made to be responsive to their legitimate responsibilities (funding inclusive) to the University.
“The GC also promised to work out the modality of paying salary arrears, promotion arrears, earned academic allowances (EAA) as well as paying monthly salaries as and when due. Out of 11 months salary arrears owed, only one month had been paid.
“The payment of monthly salary had become dwindling since May and nothing had been paid on promotion arrears and EAA.
“The union observed these reneges of the MoA on the part of the GC and the university administration and several correspondences were made to the duo of the university administration and GC to call their attention to the implications of reneging on the MoA.
“It is worthy of note that most of the time, the GC does not reply our correspondence to it and whenever it does, the message has been ‘bear with us until the university finance improves.’
“The latest of such correspondence to the GC was on the July 5, 2018. No reply was made on this correspondence.
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“Reviewing the MoA, the union observed that the situation in LAUTECH is not improving because the visitors to the university are not responsive to their financial responsibilities to the university.
“The situation becomes unbearable to members of ASUU in LAUTECH, who are being owed 10 months salaries among others.
“The branch sought and obtained permission to embark on two weeks warning strike from National Executive Council of ASUU.
“The ASUU, LAUTECH branch is on two weeks warning strike, due to poor funding of the university by the owner states government. Let the owner states government remember the masses and give them their social rights.”