LAUTECH: JAC gives condition to immediately call off the ongoing strike 

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, comprises of SSANU, NASU, and NAAT have appealed to Executive Governor, His Excellency Engineer Seyi Makinde to look into the case of LAUTECH by considering it as a public institution that rely heavily on the State funding from Governor as part of conditions to immediately pull out of the ongoing strike. 

JAC at its press conference held on Wednesday at MKO Lecture Theatre said that the ongoing strike is national which can’t be avoided. 

It also said the SSANU, NASU and NAAT also have their internal peculiar problems which ought to have led them into the local strike action if the national strike had not been called. 

The statement read, “Gentlemen of the Press, we are delighted and elated to have at this meeting which is called to acquaint you with the issues led to the on going industrial action embarked upon by all the Nigerian Public Universities based Staff Trade Unions vis-a-viz its toll on the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso.”

1. Nationally, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) embarked on her industrial action on  Monday, March 21, 2022 while the national JAC of both the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) embarked on theirs on Monday, March 28, 2022. The Unions actions were in compliance with the directive of our National bodies, and was borne out of the insensitivity and nonchalant attitude of all tiers of government and her agencies and agents to the requests and demands of Unions and by extension, the entire University system.

2. It is pertinent to let you know that the on going national strike in all public Universities has its anticipated gains are not only for the Nigeria University system alone but the entire educational system in the country. 

Contrary to the general view that the State owned Universities are in this course as a form of solidarity or picketing in support of the Federal Universities, may it be stated here that the Nigerian university is one and being managed centrally by the National University Commission (NUC). Whenever NUC is addressing the universities,  it is addressing both Federal and State owned ones including the private universities.

3. It must be emphasized here that State owned universities are the worst affected in all the issues that led to this ongoing strike action. Many State Governors have abandoned physical development of their universities to either TETFUND or Needs Assessment Projects which are products of our previous negotiations with the Federal Government.

4. May I use this medium to lay before you all, the issues that led to the current national strike. The issues are as follows:

(I) The problem of inconsistencies in payment of staff salaries with IPPIS;

(II) Non-Payment of Earned Allowances;

(III) Non-Payment of Arrears of National Minimum Wage and its Consequential Adjustment;

(IV) Poor Funding of State Universities;

(V) Delay in Renegotiation of the 2009 Agreements;

(VI) Non Release of White Papers of Visitation Panels;

(VII) Usurpation of Headship of the Non-Teaching Units in clear violation of Conditions of Service and Establishment Procedures; and

(VIII) Non-Payment of Retirement Benefits to Outgone members.

5. Gentlemen of the Press, you will all agree with me that aside from item (i) above, all other issues are part of the problems confronting all the Nigerian State owned Universities, LAUTECH inclusive. 

6. Basically, poor funding of State owned Universities has inhibited and hindered the rapid growth expected in many of our State Universities. This in itself accounted for the dilapidated conditions of these universities. Don’t be deceived by the outer beauty of the administrative buildings. Go to our laboratories, Faculties and Departments; you will be shocked seeing the working condition of our members. 

This and many more are the reasons why non of the State owned Universities can stand at per with their contemporaries in the other parts of the world. 

7. You may wish to take a walk around our campus here in Ogbomoso; hardly will you be able to sight any capital project initiated and constructed by the owner State government in the last two (2) decades. 

8. Meanwhile, if not for the previous struggles and agitations by the University based Staff Unions that brought into existence “TETFUND” and “NEEDS ASSESSMENT” Projects as earlier stated, LAUTECH and many other State owned Universities would have been nothing but a glorified secondary school.

9. Gentlemen, here in LAUTECH, it is being clamoured that we need not join the ongoing National strike and stay long in it. However, there are two issues involved:

1). The ongoing strike is national. We can’t shun it; and

2). We also have our internal peculiar problems which ought to have led us into the local strike action if the national strike had not been called. Unfortunately, our University management and the Governing Council are not doing enough to resolve our internal issues. 

10. While on the strike, the university management invited all the unions to a meeting specifically on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 and requested that we should find a way of assisting the University to re-open for both Academic and Administrative activities. 

11. In response, the JAC leadership appreciated the University Management for calling for a meeting after a very long time and implored the management to find a healthy way of ensuring the commencement of Academic activities. Subsequently, other meetings were held where the University reaffirmed that the members of staff were being owed the following: 

(1) Arrears of the National Minimum Wage for 32months. 

(2) Promotion arrears from 2012/2013 till date. 

(3) Arrears of EARNED ALLOWANCES from 2013/2014 till date 

(4) Outstanding  7 months Cooperative/End Well Scheme’s Deductions.

12. In addition to the above, the Unions were also invited to a meeting by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Oyo State wherein a robust deliberation on our demands and how to resolve them were made and the Honourable Commissioner was convinced that the University needs a special financial bailout from the state government to offset part of the arrears  owed the staff members. He also promised to meet and present the unions minimum requests to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde and would get back to the Unions. 

13. However, to the chagrin dismay of the Unions and members of staff, at the second meeting with the Honourable Commissioner, payment of any money was not mentioned as promised at the first meeting but rather a  plea that the Unions should appeal to its members to pull out of the National Strike and resume back to their duty posts was placed before the leadership of the unions.

14. Therefore, the JAC at this juncture is hereby reiterating its earlier position reached at its Congress held on Tuesday, June 6, 2022 where it reviewed the on going National Strike action and the comment passed on the members of staff of LAUTECH by His Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State on a BCOS Programme “E PADE GOMINA” on Saturday, June 4, 2022, as follows:

(1) That the Governor was seem to be misinformed/mis guided by the leadership of the Governing Council on the issues on ground.

(2) That the JAC of SSANU, NASU and NAAT LAUTECH Branch is on a legitimate industrial action as directed by our respective National Secretariats.

(3) That aside the issues earlier stated above as reasons for the ongoing National Strike, the LAUTECH Governing Council and Management are owing members of staff the following outstanding arrears:

(i) Thirty two (32) months arrears of New National Minimum Wage (April 2019 to December 2021)

(ii)  Promotion arrears from 2012/2013 till date.

(iii) Arrears of EARNED ALLOWANCES from 2013/2014 till date.

(iv) Seven (7) months of unpaid COOPERATIVES/END WELL SCHEMES Deductions.

15. Based on the foregoing, it is so disturbing to note that our amiable Governor and Visitor to the university will only listen to those that he appointed alone as a segment in the university without endeavoring to hear from the side of the Unions, the real labourers in the “Vineyard” before taking the decision of stopping the university subvention leading to the embargo placed on the payment of our salary for the past two and half months. 

16. Finally, we wish to use the opportunity of this Press Conference to passionately make the following as an appeal to our own dear, amiable, focused, masses’ and workers’ friendly and Education loving Executive Governor, His Excellency Engineer Seyi Makinde to look into the case of LAUTECH by considering it as a public institution that rely heavily on the State funding from Governor and do the following to further safe the life of the University:

A:

(1). Agree to invite our unions to a roundtable meeting to enable us iron out issues as we did with Late Chief Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala and Late Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi in their times as Executive Governors of the State.

2). Release our subventions and direct the payment of salaries (May and June 2022) to enable our teeming members to celebrate Eld Kabir festival and to restore our dignity as parents to our children and family during the forthcoming Sallah.

(3) Increased the monthly subvention to the University.

B

1). Work out the modus operandi for the commencement of the payment of  our Earned Allowance (EA) of 2013/2014 – 2020/2021,

2). Payment of outstanding salary deduction to cooperatives and unions.

3). Payment of promotion arrears (from 2012 to date)

4). A special intervention fund of N5bn to be released to the University under a Governing Council to kick-start (1) above.

17. Lastly, I on behalf of the entire members of staff most especially the Non-teaching Staff working in LAUTECH Ogbomoso thank you for your time in honouring our invitation. 

“I also wish you all journey mercies back to your various destinations and looking forward to seeing you again as you are supporting us in the struggle for a better life for the Nigerian Universities (LAUTECH) workers and salvaging the Nigeria University system from going into relegation.”