ASUP, OSPOLY Speaks On Ongoing Indefinite Strike

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Iree chapter, has today insisted that the union will not bow out on the ongoing indefinite strike in Osun State polytechnic, Iree until the management of the institution pay-up its entitlements.

The union embarked on the indefinite strike on Thursday, 14 June, over unpaid “peculiar, medical, and hazard allowances”.

Comrade K. O Alimi, the Publicity Secretary of the union said in an interview with NAMACOS online that the strike is an internal industrial action directed to the school management for failing to pay their allowances since April, 2016.

According to the comrade, the institution stopped the payment of the allowances which they started in 2011 on the ground of the economic recession bedevilling the country then. He said the management promised to continue the payment of the allowances and the arrears immediately the country recovers from the recession.

“At the end of this June, it will be 26 months outstanding of that balance of the salary tagged Peculiar, Medical, and Hazard. Our people thought it wise that this is getting too much and at least they should pay part of the money;" the comrade said.

Alimi disclosed that ASUP ended the warning strike it embarked on in January when the school management told the union that they have included the allowances in the 2018 budget; and promised that the payment of the allowances would commence 5 months ago after which the union and the management will sit to discuss how the arrears will be paid.

“But unfortunately, when we approached the management..,  they said that our chairman should call the chairman, governing council. When he called the chairman, governing council, the chairman told ASUP chairman that Mr. Governor said he is not aware of anything like that.

“We gave the school management one week strike notice, they refused it. 30 days after, we gave them another strike notice, they also refused it. Recently when we gave them15 days notice of strike…, they also refused it. They didn’t even call us for any meeting not until we declared the strike,’’ he said.

He disclosed that the state government directed the institutions owned by the state to pay these allowances from their internally generated revenue which necessitated the increment of the school fees from about 32 thousand naira to 65 thousand naira in Osun state polytechnic, Iree.

He said the union has met with the school management and the governing council, and they have appealed with the union to call off the strike. He also disclosed that the management pleaded with them to wait until the state government approves this year budget. According to him, the school management said they would not pay out such a huge amount of allowances when the state government is yet to approve the 2018 budget.

“The feedback of our people is that we should not call off the strike until the payment is made. The argument of our people is that if the management can source for the money to purchase fleet of cars for the members of the management just about a month ago now without Mr. Governor approving the budget. They knew how the manoeuvre to get the approval without signing the budget; so, they should use that very system to obtain approval for the payment of our peculiar.

   “If it happens that they purchased all those cars on loan, they should go and obtain loan to settle us. We have been agitating for these allowances long before they purchased these cars."

The comrade noted that the union is having other issues which are mainly between the union and the state government. According to him, the state government owes the staff of the institution 36 months half salaries. He added that this has condemned the majority of the staff to live from hand to mouth.

He however projected that the strike is likely to end before the first week of July if the state government approves the budget before the end of this month and the union entitlements are paid.

He urged the students to assist them in appealing with the school management to pay the allowances of the lecturers on time so that academic activities on the campus can resume. He also pleaded with the students to avoid any violent protest in the course of the strike.

Reacting to the ASUP claims, the Media Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Tope Abiola disclosed in a chat with NAMACOS Online that out of the four institutions owned by the state: Osun State Polytechnic, Iree; Osun State College of Technology, Esa-oke; and the state Colleges of Education in Ila – Orangun and Ilesa; only Osun State Polytechnic, Iree has paid the highest portion of the alleged allowances which the ASUP PRO described as Peculiar, Medical, and Hazard allowances.

Speaking further, Abiola disclosed that the contending 2018 peculiar is in the state government budget which is awaiting the State Governor's assent, adding that "no ministry or any agency of government can implement an unapproved budget of a state."

He however expressed optimism that the contending allowances would be paid by the authority of the institution when the budget is finally assented.