The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso chapter, on Wednesday commenced a two-week warning strike over what they called poor funding of the university by the owner states.

The institution, DAILY POST reports, is jointly owned by both Oyo and Osun state governments.

ASUU in a statement jointly signed by the duo of Comrades Biodun Olaniran and Toyin Abegunrin after its congress on Wednesday declared that LAUTECH chapter of the union had gotten approval to embark on the warning strike from the national body of the union.

They said despite the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed between the union and the Governing Council of the University after its eight months old strike last year, government of the two states were reneged on fulfilling their own part of the deal.

They maintained that the two states headed by Senator Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) only paid one out of the eleven months salary arrears owed the workers.

According to them, “On 13th February, 2018, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) LAUTECH Branch Ogbomoso signed a Memorandum of Action (MoA) with the Governing Council (GC) of the University.

“The signing of the MoA led to the suspension of the 8 months old strike on the 17th February 2018. One of the fundamental clauses of the agreement is the promise of the GC that ‘it will ensure that the governments (of Oyo and Osun states) will be made to be responsive to their legitimate responsibilities (funding inclusive) to the University’.”

“The GC also promised to work out the modality of paying salary arrears, promotion arrears, earned academic allowances (EAA) as well as paying monthly salaries as and when due. Out of eleven months salary arrears owed, only one month had been paid.

“The payment of monthly salary had become dwindling since May and nothing had been paid on promotion arrears and EAA. The Union observed these reneges of the MoA on the part of the GC and the University administration and several correspondences were made to the duo of the University administration and GC to call their attention to the implications of reneging on the MoA.

“It is worthy of note that most of the time, the GC do not reply our correspondence to it and whenever it does, the message has been ‘bear with us until the University finance improves.’ The latest of such correspondent to the GC was on the 5th July, 2018. No reply was made on this correspondence.

“Reviewing the MoA, the union observed that the situation in LAUTECH is not improving because the Visitors to the University are not responsive to their financial responsibilities to the University. The situation becomes unbearable to members of ASUU in LAUTECH, who are being owed 10 months salaries among others. The branch sought and obtained permission to embark on two weeks warning strike from National Executive Council of ASUU.

“The ASUU LAUTECH branch is on two weeks warning strike due to poor funding of the University by the owner states government. Let the owner states remember the masses and give them their social right”.