Lautech Staff Threatening To Go On Strike Soon

Academic activities might be disrupted once again at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) as non-teaching staff are threatening to start an indefinite strike.

According to Punch , the Joint Action Committee of the university on Friday, July 3, 2018, held a press conference where it announced that it could resolve to indefinite strike.

The committee, comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, National Association of Academic Technologists and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, accused Osun and Oyo states, which own the institution of deliberately trying to incapacitate the school so that their state individual universities could survive, Punch reports.

Alesinloye Muraina who is the SSANU chairman in an address he read at the event said both Oyo and Osun state governments starve LAUTECH of funds.

Muraina said the situation had worsened since the two state governments promised to make corrections, adding that was the reason the union called off its 16-month strike on October 23, 2017.

He said, “The government said that the school accounting records were untidy and that forensic auditing would be done by KPMG. The result has yet to be made public. The external auditor discovered that the university can only survive by adequate and proper funding from the two states.

“The issue of an allegation of operating 97 accounts was found to be imaginary and a mirage. The action of the two governments is to destroy the last standing legacy of the Yoruba race educationally by their refusal to face their statutory responsibilities to the school and incessant increasing of school fees.

“Governors Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State have destroyed the mission and vision of the founders of the school. Their mischief is to ensure LAUTECH does not survive so that University of Osun and Technical University, Ibadan can survive.”

Academic staff too may go on strike

In a similar development, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomosho threaten to start another strike action on Thursday, July 26, 2018.

The union said that LAUTECH workers are owed 10 months’ salary and promotion arrears, among others adding that the institutions.