The Oyo State College of Agricultural Technology (OYSCATECH) in Igboora has been shut, following a 21-day strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) over alleged non-payment of salaries.
The union went on the warning strike after an emergency meeting held last Thursday, following the expiration of the ultimatum given management to pay workers nine-month arrears. The union said its members had been working without pay for months, noting that many of them are dying of hunger.
ASUP said it had exhausted all avenues, including goodwill, to resolve the matter, but said strike was the only language understood by the management.
In its letter to the registrar signed by the chairman, Afees Adeniyi, and Secretary, Mr O.O. Opadijo, ASUP asked the management to pay the nine months salary arrears to ameliorate members’ financial predicament, saying doing so would save its members from untimely death.
“We demand constitution of a high-powered Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Monitoring Committee outside the Bursary department to monitor the income and expenditure of the college in order to ensure transparency.
“We demand immediate stoppage of payment of our salaries in fractions. We want the government to grant 100 per cent subvention to our college. This strike will be total. There will be no activities on campus. No examination, no project supervision and no attendance of any statutory meetings, either in academic board, faculty, department or committee.”
The union also called for improved infrastructure and provision of modern teaching materials to aid learning. The 21-day strike is expected to end on December 27.
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