Three staff unions in Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, will tomorrow embark on an indefinite strike to protest the non-implementation of their demands by the state government and the university management.
At the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting of the three staff unions, members were directed to down tools, a sign that academic and administrative activities would be paralysed in the institution on Monday.
Also, the industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) will disrupt students examinations scheduled to start tomorrow.
In a letter dated January 15 and addressed to the acting Vice Chancellor of LASU, Prof Oyedamola Oke, copied to the Deputy VC, Registrar, Bursar and Librarian, JAC said that the decision to embark on the strike was based on the inability of the Lagos State government and the university management to meet their demands.
JAC said that the strike became necessary as a result of the management and state government to accede to its promise on the payment of 2020 end of year bonus.
Another reason for the strike was the non-payment of arrears of minimum wage and the earned academic allowance.
The unions observed: “The arrears of our minimum wage read from April 2019 to September 2020 while that of earned academic allowance is from 2009/2010 to 2017/2018.
“We have resolved any failure to pay these entitlements of our members will amount to total shut down of the university. We look forward to your prompt favourable reaction to avert the looming crisis.”
The indefinite strike by the academic and non-academic staff will disrupt the 2019/2020 first semester exam which will start on Monday, January 18, because the aggrieved workers have vowed to shutdown the university.
Ahead of the industrial action, the three staff unions have mobilised their members for the shutdown of the university, which may result in the locking of the two main gates.
Recalled that workers of Lagos State tertiary institutions on September 14, 2020 embarked on strike to protest the failure of the state government to pay the arrears of the minimum wage and other demands.
State government officials met with chairmen of the four state-owned institutions and promised to begin payment by October 2020 with one-year arrears. – The Sun.
