By Amaka Abayomi

The Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State-owned Tertiary Institutions (CASUOSTI) has said the on-going strike by the various academic unions, especially those of state-owned tertiary institutions in the state, is beyond the issue of unpaid salaries as being insinuated in some quarters.

In a statement signed by the group’s chairman and secretary, Comrades Lasisi Jimoh and Olusegun Lana, respectively, stated that while members of the various academic staff unions in state-owned tertiary institutions, represented by CASUOSTI, are not exempted  from the problem of unpaid salaries and its consequent injuries to workers, it has become  important to inform all stakeholders and the general public that the ongoing strike action by the members of these unions is beyond the issue of unpaid salaries.

The statement reads in part: “The academic staff of the state-owned Polytechnics and Colleges of Education had been on a two-day weekly strike action since 27th January, 2015 (long before unpaid salaries became national news).

The industrial action was made total and indefinite on 11th June, 2015 (after 5 month of weekly warning strike) because the state government did nothing whatsoever towards addressing the issues prone to industrial crisis in the state’s tertiary education sector.

“The major issues leading to the ongoing strike action are mismanagement of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS); illegal withholding of deductions from salaries and resultant penal interests on bank loans;

non-fulfillment of duly signed collective Agreements on (a) recruitment of more staff (b) review of throat-cutting tax regime and (c) full implementation of CONPCASS; and incomplete composition of Governing Councils by the absence of statutory representatives.

“Others are non-payment of salaries for the past 8 months, installmental payment of salaries, and non-payment of leave bonuses since December 2013; centralized system of payroll administration and salary payment leading to breach of establishment laws and administrative hiccups; and breach of statutory autonomy of our institutions.

“Also, it has come to our knowledge that the state government is planning to prune out the effects of last promotion and migration policy from our salaries as staffers of tertiary institutions from January 2015.

“We use this medium to warn the government to avoid this malicious action which is capable of deepening the industrial crisis already plaguing our sector.

In the event that this obnoxious intention is carried out, we shall spare no lawful spontaneous reaction to call government to order without apology for any embarrassment such may cause government.”