The campus of the Obafemi Awolowo university, OAU ile ife in Osun state on Friday witnessed some industrial upheaval as staff of the institution’s staff school left the classrooms on a protest at the front of the senate building of the university.
The reason for the protest is the is the non- payment of salary arrears running into nine months owed the staff of the OAU staff school by the management of the university despite an industrial court judgement ruling.
The Obafemi Awolowo university community is just settling down to peace following several months of industrial unrest which resulted in the change of leadership of the institution.
That peace seemed to be at another edge as workers of the university’s staff primary school who are aggrieved that for nine months, they have worked without pay.
The crisis is said to have erupted following a circular from the federal government scrapping all staff schools of federal universities but was upturned by a December 5, 2016 judgement of the national industrial court ruling that based on the collective agreement reached between the federal government and the senior staff association of Nigerian universities, SSANU, all capital and recurrent cost of staff primary schools of federal universities must be bore by the federal government.
The protesting workers are accusing the university’s of deliberately refusing to pay their salary when that of the main staff of the university are being paid regularly
Other grievances of the protesting staff of the staff school include an alleged proposed privatization of the staff school by the institution’s council as well as reinstatement of their names into the main roll of staff of the university as they claimed had already been done in other universities.
This difference between staff of the OAU staff school and the management of the Obafemi Awolowo university OAU ile-ife is taking its toll on pupils of the staff primary school as the second term examinations which should have started on Monday and concluded on Thursdays has been postponed indefinitely until management pays the staff.
In the midst of this tussle, pupils of the school who are at the receiving end of this are crying out for consideration by the two sides.
Meanwhile, the management of the Obafemi Awolowo university OAU ile ife while appealing for understanding from the staff said it was only following the federal government directive.
according to the public relations officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, the management will soon settle the salary arrears of nine months owed the staff.
As it is, the workers have vowed to continue with their protest until their demands are met.
