LASU workers shelve strike over end-of-year bonus, minimum wage arrears
By Adesina Wahab
Teaching and non-teaching staff of the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, who had earlier threatened to embark on industrial action over the payment of the end-of-the-year bonus, minimum wage arrears among others, have now shelved their plan.
The workers would have abandoned their duty posts from Monday, January 18, 2021.
However, according to a letter signed by the leaders of the staff unions and a copy of which our correspondent saw on Sunday, the proposed strike has been put on hold.
In the letter titled: RE: JAC’s position on end-of-the-year bonus and other benefits,” directed to the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oyedamola Oke, the workers said the intervention of Oke led them to stop their planned strike.
The letter was signed Dr Ibrahim Bakare, the Branch Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, his Secretary, Dr Sylvester Idowu; Comrade Oseni Adewale Saheed, the Branch Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and his Secretary, Comrade Awoyemi Bola, the Branch Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Allied Institution, NASU, Comrade Sanni Moruf Ige and his Secretary, Comrade Akapo Ibikunle.
The unions acted under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee of ASUU, SSANU and NASU.
However, the unions said in their letter that the management of the university should pay them their end-of-the-year bonus by Monday, January 18, 2021.
They also demanded that at least one-third of their 18 months new minimum wage arrears be paid on or before the end of January, this year.
Recall that the workers had gone on strike last October to press the Lagos State Government to pay them the new minimum wage.
The State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, agreed to their demand and the workers were back on their beats after two days of the strike.
It was the only period activities were paralysed in the university during the five-year tenure of the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN.