Oyo tertiary institutions’ workers suspend two-month old strike

Workers in the six tertiary institutions owned by Oyo State government have suspended their two-month old strike.

The six institutions are: The Polytechnic, Ibadan; Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo; Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology; The Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa; The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki and College of Education, Lanlate.

They had been on strike since Friday 3rd November 2017, when leaders of the various workers’ unions, which include members of various academic and non-academic staff in the six institutions declared a full blown indefinite strike action to press home their demands bothering on nonpayment of their salaries ranging from 9 to 15 months.

DAILY POST learnt that the strike was suspended on Monday after some grey areas surrounding the nonpayment of months of salaries, payment of full salaries and reduction of the subventions to the institutions among other issues were addressed by representatives of the unions in the six institutions and the Oyo State government officials.

NASU Chairman, The Polytechnic Ibadan chapter, Comrade Ibrahim Adekunle Akande who confirmed the suspension of the strike to DAILY POST on Tuesday noted that the strike was suspended when the government agreed to commence payment of their full salaries beginning from January 2018.

Akande said though the unions had suspended the strike in all the six institutions, they were still in series of meetings to address some key areas.

He said that it was the intervention of the governing councils of the institutions and the promised made by the government that made them to suspend the strike.

Akande said “Yes we have suspended the strike in all the six institutions because the government has promised to commence payment of our full salaries from January 2018. All the six institutions, we are still in meeting as I am speaking with you to address some other issues.

“The strike was suspended with the intervention of the governing councils when the government promised to pay our full salaries”.