ASUU

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Ibadan Zone has warned the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo, Professor Labode Popoola against harassing and threatening its members in the institution.

The warning was issued at the end of the zonal meeting of the Union held at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.

ASUU said Professor Popoola was compelling members to break the strike and attempting to completely eradicate the union in Uniosun through series of anti-union activities and hostile administrative policies.

ASUU listed the actions of the Vice Chancellor to include compelling members to attend management, senate, principal officers and other statutory meetings during strike, organisation and holding the 7th convocation of the University between Monday 19th and Thursday 22nd November, 2018 without any waiver from ASUU, implementation of the obnoxious “No work no pay“ rule in Uniosun even when the NUC had directed all Vice-Chancellors and Councils to stay action and stoppage of deduction of the monthly check-off dues from the salaries of  members to the coffers of ASUU.

The Union also accused the UniOsun VC of issuing threat circulars to members, who are currently on lawful strike to commence uploading of the results of the 2017/2018 harmattan and rain semesters on the University’s RPMS, directing members to resume academic activities when he was clearly aware that the strike is still actively on and victimisation of the Branch Officers who were on lawful union’s assignment.

The zonal body of the union however commended the branch officers and the entire members of ASUU-UNIOSUN for their resolve to fight for truth and justice towards ensuring that university education is adequately funded in Nigeria.

According to the Union, “no reasonable university administrator would force ASUU members to break this strike because dividends of such struggles have always ended up on the table of Vice-Chancellors. Any attempt to strangulate the hen that lays the golden eggs is therefore hypocritical. Vice-Chancellors, Professor Popoola inclusive are members of ASUU and should not be seen to implement policies that are antithetical to the ASUU struggle”.

“Now that the strike has entered the fifth week, ASUU enjoined all members at that branch to disregard any directive of the vice-chancellor that contravenes the strike bulletins 1-5 issued by the National Strike Coordinating Committee, NSCC, of the union and sternly warned Professor Popoola to desist from harassing its members and to abide by the rules of the union or risk being sanctioned.

The union said it would soon come out with a full statement on the activities of Prof. Popoola whose actions it claimed were unbecoming of a university vice-chancellor, accusing him of engaging in “militarised mode of administration in utter disregard for rights and privileges of members of staff.”