OOU Suspends Strike Action

The industrial action by some unions in Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, Ago Iwoye in Ijebu North local government area of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria, was Tuesday suspended and the institution will resume academic activities Wednesday.

Three unions namely, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Non Teaching Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technology (NAAT), had on Thursday,15 March 2012 gone on strike to press home some of their demands from the management of the institution.

P.M.NEWS can authoritatively revealed that at the end of an emergency meeting held this afternoon at the main campus of the institution in Ago Iwoye, the three unions agreed to suspend the strike action to give room for dialogue with the authorities of the institution.

They have therefore called on all members of staffs to resume at their duty posts tomorrow.

Our correspondent gathered that the leaders of the three unions were at the meeting and they jointly agreed to suspend the industrial action which crippled academic activities in the institution in the last one month.

The unions had met on several occasions with the management to look into how to resolve the crisis, but all they all ended in a deadlock.

Our correspondent further gathered that today’s meeting was chaired by the chairmen of the three unions. They are Mr Raheem Ademola of NASU, Mr Taiwo Egberongbe of SSANU and Miss Abimbola of NAAT.

At the end of the meeting, the unions resolved to suspend the strike as the management has pleaded to be given three weeks to look into all their grievances.

A source at the meeting disclosed that “the management requested for three weeks from us but we have given them additional one week to make it a full one month. Thereafter, if our demands are not met, we will continue with the strike. After all, we have not said that we called it off. What we did was to suspend it pending the time our requests will be granted.”

According to the source, the most important among their request is the removal of both the Vice Chancellor and the institution’s registrar.

“We have a lot of things placed on the table for them; our arrears are there.Let me tell you authoritatively our major grouse with the management. We want them to remove Prof. Wale Are Olaitan, the V.C and the Registrar, Mr Femi Oyewole because of their atrocities.”

When our correspondent contacted the Registrar on phone to react to all the allegations levelled against him in the documents sent to him, he declined to comment, saying,”I will not say anything, you should get across to the school PRO. He is in a better position to comment on the issues.”

All efforts to convince him speak the issues proved futile as hed switched off his mobile phone.

When our correspondent visited the institution to see both the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar, he was prevented from seeing them by some officials who said they were acting on instructions.