OAU Lecturers Begins Strike Over Unpaid Allowance

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has declared an indefinite strike.

Gatekeepers News reports that the union made the decision following non-payment of Earned Academic Allowance to its members.

ASUU, in a communique, said the decision was part of the resolutions reached at its emergency Congress held on Monday.

ASUU in a communiqué issued after the Congress and signed by its chairman, Dr Adeola Egbedokun, said there was no serious commitment on the part of the university management to effect payment of the allowance to its deserving members.

The communiqué read in part, “Congress also noted that all political and diplomatic means to resolve the imbroglio has failed. Consequently, congress resolved that total comprehensive and indefinite strike should commence immediately, the strike must not be called off without a congress resolution to the effect, payment of EAA must be based on ASUU computation. Anything short of this would be unacceptable.

“The Strike Coordinating Committee will be set up to monitor the strike. Based on the above and on the strength of the permission granted by ASUU National President, the Chairman, on behalf of the congress declared the commencement of ASUU strike.”

However, another group of academic staff in the university, called Congress of University Academics (CONUA), said its members would not join the industrial action.

CONUA National Coordinator, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, said the group would look at the issues involved before it would take a decision.