Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polythechnic (ASUP), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State-Owned Tertiary Institutions (CASUOSTI), in Osun
on Tuesday gave governor Rauf Aregbesola 21 day ultimatum to resolve some festering issues, bothering on modulated salaries to its members and the government’s inability to honour previous collective agreement.
The unions in a letter addressed to the governor, dated 6th of November, 2017, with reference no CASUOSTI/17/02/01, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Osogbo today said “for several years now, the academic staffs of the State-owned tertiary institutions have been subjected to untold hardship, frustrations and unprecedented levels of demoralization by the harsh effects of unaddressed festering issues ranging from unfulfilled collective Agreements, selective justice in the reinstatement of disengaged members of staff, withdrawn statutory benefits tantamount to salary reduction, salary modulation (HALF SALARY) regime now up to 26 months, cut-throat tax, injuriously administered contributory pension scheme to several other painful conditions”.
The letter reads in part, “many of these festering issues have become recurrent and their unbearable consequences have occasioned perennial industrial disputes often punctuated by duly signed Agreements upon which Government had repeatedly reneged.
“ In our patriotic efforts to seek Government action towards resolution of these issues before they snowball into another round of industrial crisis, we have consulted and consolidated widely and severally. Apart from series of discussions and appeal letters since October 2015, we wrote Mr. Governor inApril, 2017; made a formal call for dialogue with Government in June 2017; submitted a plea for action detailing, not only the festering issues but justifications for solicited action on them through the Special Adviser on Higher Education, Bursary & Scholarship in July, 2017. Alas! We are yet to get any relief and the issues remain unaddressed stretching our endurance to the barest limits”.
“Most of these issues are beyond the internal organs of our institutions including the Governing Councils and Managements. Therefore, inspired by Mr. Governor’s disposition to justice, fairness and equity, our Congresses are simultaneously constrained to hold the fort for the next three weeks (21 days), within which time we believe these issues would be duly attended to upon the goodwill of Mr. Governor”.