Nine days after Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, visited the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, the institution chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has called off its 17-day strike.
Workers in the institution, OYOINSIGHT.COM recalls, had gone on strike over continued financial crisis by the owner state of Osun and Oyo. This came few days after Osun released 250 million to the institution.
Last Tuesday, Makinde who visited the institution, approved the sum of 500 million for the university.
Other unions, except ASUU, immediately shelved their strike after the governor’s visit.
The union embarked on a boycott of lectures on Monday, November 18, due to non-payment of salaries owed.
In a telephone interview with the ASUU Chairman, LAUTECH chapter, Biodun Olaniran, he said the union has decided to resume academic activities to “honour” Governor Seyi Makinde ”and his requests”.
“We have agreed to put an end to the lecture boycott that has been on since November 18th following Governor Makinde’s visit to LAUTECH,” he said.
”He has promised to pay two months salary and with this in mind, the union thought it best to resume academic activities. This is just a way of honouring him.”
“As opposed to the public belief that this was a strike action, it was only a lecture boycott as academic staff were actively involved in other things asides lectures. The agreement was to do everything else asides teach students until something was done about our requests,” he said Wednesday evening.
Olaniran added that some classes held earlier today in compliance with the suspension of the lecture boycott.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Makinde, on November 27, set up a five-member panel to advise him on how the state government can take sole ownership of the school.
Mr Makinde said the “committee’s mandate is to, in a manner of speaking, secure a divorce for Oyo State from joint ownership of the university with Osun State.”
However, when this reporter Olaniran what will happen if the governor disappoints, he said ”the union members are optimistic that Makinde will not renege in fulfilling the promises”.
The lecturers’ union had earlier issued a 10-day ultimatum to the university to pay their August, September and October salaries or face an industrial crisis.
The teachers are being owed 11 months salary arrears by the Oyo and Osun governments.
In the last two years, LAUTECH has experienced several industrial actions over unpaid salaries and workers’ entitlements.
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