Osun strike: Govt, ASUP, COEASU meeting ends in deadlock

Posted by admin Osun, State News Monday, October 10th, 2011

The meeting summoned by the Osun State Government with the striking academic staff in the four state-owned institutions to end the two month-old strike ended in a deadlock. The four state-owned tertiary institutions affected by the industrial action of the academic staff include Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa Oke, Osun State Colleges of Education both at Ila-Orangun and Ilesa.

The Public Relations Officer of Council of Academic Staff Unions Osun State Owned Tertiary Institutions (CASUOSTI), an umbrella body for the striking lecturers, Mr. Olubisi Ige, confirmed that the leadership of the body met with officials of the state government but nothing was achieved. Among the demands are seven per cent peculiar academic allowance, new salary package of CONTISS 2007 and CONPOCASS 2009, retirement age of 65 approved by the Federal Government and NBTE, revision of officers from 15 to 14 at the point of retirement, staff welfare.

Other issues in contention include granting of autonomy to state-owned institutions as applicable to other tertiary institutions in Osun, implementation of pension scheme for members. He disclosed that the state government team to the meeting was led by the Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, who he said pleaded with the academic staff to call off the strike and start the negotiation.

According to him, the leadership of CASUOSTI said no to his proposal and reminded him that the state government completed negotiations with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) before they resumed work, asking “why is it now different with us? The meeting ended without any headway”.

The image maker of the association confirmed that some Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leaders met CASUOSTI leaders, adding “we informed them of our first meeting with the governor, how his deputy appreciated our patience. We reminded that when they pleaded for certain percentage to be released for government as sacrifice, we asked them why such was not extended to Osun State University and LAUTECH. We insist on 100 per cent”.

Ige said before the deadlock parley with the government, CASUOSTI leaders met at Osun State College of Education, Ila Orangun on Tuesday, 20th September, 20 to reflect on the strike and concluded that the process of being made inferior to its counterparts in other institutions started in 2000 with 20 per cent deduction from Harmonized Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (HATISS) by Governor Bisi Akande regime on the pretext of contributing to make the state greater.

-Sunwp_posts