LAUTECH begins two-week warning strike over unpaid salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) has commenced a two weeks warning strike.

The statement issued by Biodun Olaniran, chairman of ASUU, and Toyin Abegunrin, secretary of ASUU, said its LAUTECH chapter has received approval to begin the warning strike.

The strike, which began on Wednesday, is reportedly due to a backlog of unpaid salaries of up to 10 months.

Owned by both Osun and Oyo states, the union signed a memorandum of action in February to suspend an eight-month strike after both state governments committed to properly fund the university.

The statement reads in full: “On February 13, the ASUU in LAUTECH branch in Ogbomoso signed a MoA with the governing council of the university.

“The signing of MoA led to the suspension of the eight-month-old strike on February 17.

“One of the fundamental clauses of the agreement is the promise of the governing council 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 governing council also promised to work out the modality of paying salary arrears, promotion arrears, earned academic allowances (EAA) as well as paying monthly salary as and when due. Of 11-month salary arrears owed, only one month has been paid.

“The payment of monthly salary has become dwindling since May and nothing has been paid on promotion arrears and EAA.

“The union observed these reneges of the MoA on the part of the governing council and the university administration and several correspondences were made to the duo of the university administration and governing council to call their attention to the implications of reneging on the MoA.

“It is worthy of note that most of the time, the governing council does not reply to our correspondence to it, and whenever it does, the message has been ‘bear with us until the university’s finance improves’.

“The latest of such correspondence to the governing council was on July 5. No reply was made on this correspondence.

“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’ salary, among others.

“The branch sought and obtained permission to embark on a two-week warning strike from the National Executive Council of ASUU.

“The ASUU LAUTECH branch is on a two-week warning strike due to poor funding of the university by the owner state governments. Let the owner state governments remember the masses and give them their social rights.”