12th April, 2017
Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan
Academic activities resumed today at the University of Ibadan (UI) as the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, ended its one week warning strike.
The UI chapter of ASUU last Tuesday declared a one-week warning strike as a result of alleged illegal deduction of about 7.5 percent pension since 2004, and incomplete payment of monthly salaries of the staff.
The union warned that if the university failed to accede to their demands after the warning strike, it would declare an indefinite strike until the authority pays the debts owed the staff.
Since the resumption of the first semester, the institution lost a month to strike as the non academic staff had earlier embarked on a three week strike.
Due to the various industrial actions in the institution, some departments have not commenced lecture for their postgraduate students.
A visit to the institution by our correspondent revealed that some lecturers taught their students while some did not turn up for lecture.
Some students who spoke to with PMNEWS urged the management of the school to adjust the academic calendar as it would be wrong to start exam as scheduled because reasonable weeks have been lost.
A postgraduate student told PMNEWS: “I have not received any lecture today. The truth is that they have not even started lectures in my department. For your information, I just did my clearance from the postgraduate school. The day the postgraduate school slated me for could not hold because of the strike embarked upon by the non academic staff.
”I am trying to secure accommodation. I have submitted my request to the postgraduate hall. What I am saying is that if lecture has not started in my department, and the regulation says that we must receive lecture for 13 weeks, have two weeks lecture free, after which, the examination can hold as scheduled. If they want to do what is right, the first semester examination will be holding around August. This is if there is no strike again”.
An undergraduate student who spoke with PMNEWS under anonymity said, “I think it is time the authority settled this problem once and for all. It is bad for the management to owe staff and it is bad to be illegally deducting their salaries. This is fraud that should not be encouraged. I think the Vice Chancellor should be sincere to do what is right. He should know that where two elephants fight, it is the grass that will suffer. At the end of the day, the Vice Chancellor and the striking staff will collect their pay but the students will be made to bear the brunt of the crime they did not commit by not receiving enough lectures before examination and unnecessary rush which we will resist because it will affect our quality”.
Reacting to the incessant strikes embarked upon by the academic and non-academic staff unions in the institution, the school management brought out a Special Release No. 3948 which read:
“The Joint Action Congress, comprising the University of Ibadan Branch of the Senior Staff Union of Universities (SSANU), Nigerian Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), embarked on an industrial action which lasted about three weeks, during the month of March 2017. Similarly, the UI Branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) proceeded on a one week warning strike with effect from 5 April, 2017. Management has deliberated extensively on the issues which are to be communicated to each member of staff, in order to clarify the contentious matters and itemize the steps that are being taken to address the issues. It is our fervent hope that enduring peace will return to our dear institution as soon as possible. We solicit the support and cooperation of all members of staff in this respect.”