Staff unions downtool, ground activities in UI

Both academic and administrative activities were on Monday grounded at the University of Ibadan as the staff unions began a warning strike to demand full payment of salaries and arrears from January 2016 to date.
According to sources, staff of the University have been collecting incomplete salaries since January 2016, due to shortfall of allocation from the federal government to the institution.
The Unions had ordered their members to go home last week Friday after holding a joint congress at the University entrance gate, forcing offices to shut down earlier than usual and compelling other commercial activities to be disrupted.
Many students and members of the school community using the commercial cab operators were also made to trek distances to their destinations, as cab operators were not allowed to operate and the main entrance shut against people who wanted to drive into the school premises.
However, in what seems a twist of event, the Bursar of the institution, Mr. Micheal Alatise, in a post on one of his social media platforms, announced that the University had received the balance of the shortfalls from January to April, 2016.
He added that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka, had also directed that the money be paid to the workers.
According to Alatise, the four months shortfall was paid into the school coffers on Saturday, 30th July, 2016
“I am pleased to inform the University community that we have received fund to pay salary shortfalls for January to April 2016. The fund came in on Saturday 30 July, 2016. The VC has directed prompt payment of these shortfalls”, the post read.
A close source to the leadership of the labour unions told The Point that the keys to major offices and departments in the institution were in the custody of the union leaders, thereby denying staff, who may want to report for work, access to their offices.
Only postgraduate lectures held under special arrangements outside the usual lecture halls, as many of the staff to open the halls decided to resume at the union congress conducted at the main entrance of the institution.
As early as 7am, the Joint Action Congress, Senior Staff of Nigerian Universities, ASUU and NASU members had converged at the entrance to update the members on development and enforce the strike action, ensuring that the gate remained under lock.
The resultant traffic snarl witnessed at the Agbowo end of the University forced many going to the school to park their vehicles and trek. But the gate was later re-opened shortly after noon.
The strike also affected few faculties still conducting undergraduate examinations as movement within, into and outside the school premises were seriously hampered.
The unions, justifying the action, explained that they were forced to take the decision owing to the failure of the University authorities to yield to the demand of commencing full payment of salaries by July ending, with the arrears of shortfalls from December 2015 to June 2016.
Chairman of SSANU, Wale Akinremi said the Congress of the Unions resolved to proceed with the industrial action without any further warning following several unfulfilled promises.
The Unions also demanded payment of N15, 000 and N30, 000 hazard allowances for junior and senior staff respectively.