LAUTECH: ASUU says ‘no work, no pay’ as strike looms again

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said that lecturers of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) will no more work unless paid their salary arrears.

Biodun Olaniran, chairman of the ASUU, LAUTECH chapter, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the governments of Oyo and Osun have failed to meet up with the demands of the union, hence, they may be forced to embark on another indefinite strike.

“It has been over two years now that LAUTECH has been thrown into crippling financial crisis due to government’s refusal to meet its funding obligations to the institution,” Olaniran said.

“Events reached an unfortunate peak when in July 2016 staff unions, with the exception of ASUU embarked on an indefinite strike to demand for the arrears of unpaid salaries.

“ASUU was later to join in September 2016 when the governments of Oyo and Osun were not forth-coming in resolving the crisis. ASUU’s action forced the government to set up a visitation panel to look into the cause(s) of the crisis and proffer solutions.

“While waiting for the panel’s reports, the government took a fire-brigade approach by releasing some money to settle two (2) months out of seven months already owed the staff as of then.

“Our Union, after signing an MOU with the administration on behalf of governing council suspended our strike action in February 2017.

“Presently, the spirit and content of that agreement has substantially been breached. Accumulation of arrears of unpaid salaries has continued unabated, government has refused to make the report of the panel public.

“Staff members have continued to endure hardship and various financial embarrassments due to non-payment of salaries (August – December, 2016 and half February – April, 2017). This brings us to a total of 7½ months of arrears.

“Our Union therefore is left with no option but to invoke the provisions of No Pay No work while the process for the resumption of our suspended full-blown strike is on-going.

“Members of the public should prevail on the governments of Oyo and Osun to live up to their responsibility to prevent another round of industrial crisis.”

The union ended a seven-month industrial action in January but lecturers did not resume their duties until February.