Osun lecturers vow to defy Aregbesola’s resumption order

Lecturers in higher institutions owned by Osun State have said they would not resume classes against the announcement made on radio that they should resume on next Monday.
The lecturers under the aegis of the Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State-Owned Tertiary Institutions in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday said they would not allow the state government to coerce them to resume without addressing the issues which caused the strike.
The statement was jointly issued by the CASUOSTI Chairman, Lasisi Jimoh; secretary, Olusegun Lana; Chairman Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Iree, Dotun Omisore; ASUP chairman, Esa Oke, Adesola Akande; COEASU Ila-Orangun Chairman, Segun Onifade and COEASU Ilesa Chairman, Oladele Ojo.
The secretary of the CASUOSTO said Governor Rauf Aregbesola had only paid them one month salary out of nine months despite the release of N34.988bn to the state for that purpose. They stated that the government had paid three months salaries to other categories of workers but left them out.
The statement read, “We find this announcement very violent, ridiculous, malicious, lawless and ill-advised. It is the most unexpected response to the peaceful and lawful demand for our legitimate rights from a democratic Government installed by the Rule of Law.
“The ongoing strike by the entire academic staff Unions in Osun State-owned Polytechnics and Colleges of Education is a duly declared “dispute of right” that began on 11th June, 2015, after a five-month long warning strike, two-day per week and all other efforts to make the State Government to honour existing collective agreements and resolve festering issues failed.
“Unfortunately, Government has not deemed it fit to open dialogue or make any lawful attempt to address the festering issues up till now, contrary to the impression of ongoing negotiations falsely made on the generality of the students.
“Withholding our salaries under any guise will not work just as any other form of intimidation and coercion has never worked and will never work in addressing legitimate industrial agitation of informed trade unions like ours