The Vice Chancellor of the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State (OAUSTECH), Prof. Sunday Ogunduyile has described as insensitive the declaration of an indefinite strike action by lecturers of the institution.
Ogunduyile noted that the action of the lecturers to go on strike when the students who have been on an academic session for over 20 months would start examination on Monday, August 2 is totally unacceptable.
The Precision NG reports that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the University on Friday declared a strike action starting on Monday.
The University’s ASUU Chair, Dr Dipo Akomolafe had said in the communique made available to The Precision NG, that the Union is proceeding on the strike after the management’s “Failure to pay them all outstanding salaries to date; failure to pay all outstanding deductions to date; failure to pay N15m out of the previous earned allowance and failure of the University to spell out the cost implication of the recently submitted Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).”
In a telephone chat with The Precision NG on Friday evening, Prof. Ogunduyile disclosed that the demands of the lecturers are not new to him and that management had appealed to them to exercise patience.
He said throughout the period of the covid-19 pandemic, they were paid even when they were not working.
“The University administration and the Governing Council met with the Unions on many occasions to deliberate on how to resolve all issues raised. However, the paucity of fund and inadequate subventions as well as the effects of Covid 19 prevented implementation of some of the agreements.
“The long ASUU strike led to prolong extension of the 2019/2020 academic session which started since January, 2020. This had its ripple effects on the running of the University as the cost of running the academic session of which should have lasted for about nine months now has to cover twenty months,” Ogunduyile said.
The VC added that with all the explanations he and management gave to them, it is not in good faith for the lecturers to have proceeded with their decision to down tool.
He said the students are not happy with such development as they have spent more time staying at home and that the lecturers would have considered the plights of the students.
“It was noted that the earlier approval by the National Executive Committee of ASUU that the Union can embark on indefinite strike if the above demands were not met further encouraged the Local Branch of the Union to go on strike.”
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