Salaries: Osun lecturers storm Assembly, sit on bare floor
Lecturers under the aegis of the Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State Owned Tertiary Institutions on Monday took their protest over unpaid salaries to the state House of Assembly.
However, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam, walked out on them.
The workers are protesting the non-payment of their salaries for eight straight months.
It was learnt that the Speaker walked out on the lecturers after spending some minutes with them.
The lecturers had been on strike for the past three months.
Chanting various anti-government songs, the lecturers carried various placards some of which read: 'Save our Souls', 'Enough is Enough', 'Pay our Salaries' and 'We Reject Half Salaries'.
The workers, who were led by leaders of the body including Chairman, Lasisi Jimoh; Secretary Olusegun Lana and Public Relations Officer, Dotun Omisore decried the speaker's action.
The Secretary expressed surprise that despite not being paid, the government had declined to negotiate with them.
Lana also noted that most of the institutions needed more staff but said that the government had refused to recruit lecturers while the admission quota keeps increasing.
He said: "We came to the House of Assembly to submit Save Our Souls letter. The protest went well until the Speaker walked out on us.
"The state government has not been remitting pension deductions from our salaries to our Pension Fund Administrators, this is against the law. The deductions are supposed to be remitted seven days after salaries are paid but this is not happening."
Responding to the protesters request, Chief Whip of the House of Assembly, Mr. Folorunsho Bamisayemi, pleaded for patience.
While admonishing the workers to disregard rumours, Bamisayemi said: "Efforts are underway to ensure your demand are met."
In the submitted letter, the workers rejected the reported plan of the state government to pay half salaries, objected to any plan to hold a fresh staff screening.
The letter was signed by Jimoh and Lana as well as the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Iree, Dotun Omisore; ASUP chairman, Esa Oke, Adesola Akande; College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Ila-Orangun Chairman, Segun Onifade and COEASU Ilesa Chairman, Oladele Ojo.
Meanwhile, for about five hours on Monday, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, led a team of labour leaders to hold a meeting with the embattled Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on the crisis.
Journalists were barred from covering the meeting, which was held at the Governor's Office in Osogbo.
Journalists were barred from covering the meeting which lasted for about five hours.
Workers in the state have been agitated over the delay in paying the salaries even after the state government has N34.988 billion bailout from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Wabba said that the government agreed to use the bailout to pay workers salaries and pensions "in the next few days."
A statement by spokesman of the state Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, read:
"We are using the opportunity to assure the entire workers in the state that all arrears of salary and pensions will be paid from the bailout funds as the reason for which it was received. And this is why the government has ensured that the verification exercise is concluded and the actual figure of workers is determined for the purpose of payment.
"It is therefore important for workers themselves to ensure effective conclusion of this process in order to ensure they reap the fruits of their labour and prevent the criminal and dubious activities of those who reap where they do not sow.
"Therefore, we must agree that civil service reforms are absolutely critical at this stage in the life of our dear state. There is a need for the engagement of all critical segments of leadership of government and labour for the necessary actions that will make the service effective, efficient and economic.
"If our state, and by all means, the entire South-West region, will become financially and materially viable, a wholesome review of what works and what does not must be carried out and implemented with considerable alacrity and efficiency."
http://dailytimes.com.ng/salaries-osun-lecturers-storm-assembly-sit-bare-floor/
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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