The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED) chapter has rejected the agreement reached between the Ondo State Government and ASUU at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), insisting that its members will remain on strike.
Chairman of ASUU-UNIMED, Abraham Oladebeye, said his chapter was not invited to the meeting where the state government and ASUU-AAUA negotiated the terms for resolving the industrial dispute.
According to Oladebeye, the agreement cannot bind ASUU-UNIMED because the chapter did not participate in the negotiations and the outcome did not address resolutions previously reached by its congress.
UNIMED Rejects Commissioner’s Letter
Oladebeye said the union also returned a letter from the Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun.
He said the contents of the letter did not address the demands contained in resolutions previously adopted by ASUU-UNIMED.
The chairman explained that although there was initially a general meeting involving the affected unions, subsequent negotiations were held separately with ASUU-AAUA without inviting ASUU-UNIMED and other university-based unions in the state.
Salary Arrears Payment Plan
According to Oladebeye, the government subsequently proposed commencing implementation of the agreements from August and paying salary arrears covering January to July in two instalments before January next year.
The ASUU-UNIMED chairman also raised concerns over what he described as special financial intervention for AAUA, saying similar support had not been extended to the University of Medical Sciences.
ASUU-AAUA Plans Resumption
Meanwhile, ASUU-AAUA Chairman, Prof. Bolu Oshodi, said the Ondo State Government had intervened financially in the dispute.
He said the chapter had scheduled a congress where members would be directed to resume academic activities.
The development comes after the Joint Action Committee of Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions (JAC-ODSTI) suspended its indefinite industrial action and directed affected workers to return to work on September 29.
JAC-ODSTI Suspends Strike
The suspension covers members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) at AAUA, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH) and UNIMED.
The unions began the strike on September 2 over unresolved issues concerning the implementation of agreements between the Federal Government and university-based unions.
JAC-ODSTI said its decision followed financial intervention by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
However, the committee urged the managements of the affected institutions to address outstanding non-financial issues to prevent another industrial dispute.
UNIMED Strike Continues
For now, the various unions have taken different positions following the government’s intervention.
While JAC-ODSTI has suspended its industrial action and ASUU-AAUA prepares for a possible resumption, ASUU-UNIMED says it will continue its strike until its own demands and congress resolutions are addressed.
The disagreement leaves the UNIMED chapter outside the agreement reached between the state government and ASUU-AAUA, with the next steps dependent on further engagement between the parties.
