Ondo State Poly Lecturers Suspend Seven-Week Strike

Agency ReporterOctober 18, 2017

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The striking lecturers of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnics Owo (RUGIPO) in Ondo State suspended their seven-week industrial action on Tuesday evening, SaharaReporters has learned.

The workers, organized under the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), had been on strike since August 31, 2017, crippling activities on campus.

Our correspondent learned that the strike was called off after the union held an emergency congress summoned by the executive of the ASUP.

Rafiu Ijawoye, the Chairman of the ASUP in the school, confirmed this in a telephone chat with SaharaReporters in Akure.

He explained that the union decided to call the strike off after the lecturers engaged in a series of negotiations with the government.

Mr. Ijawoye said the state government paid the striking lecturers one month’s salary out of the ten months outstanding.

He added that further details of the meeting would be revealed at a later time.

A student source further confirmed the development to our correspondent.

“I was just told now that we (students) are to resume back to campus with immediate effect,” he said on the phone.

A source who attended the meeting held inside the Adekunle Ajasin Auditorium of the school campus said that the angry lecturers still vowed to resume their strike if their demands are not met.

The lecturers had been agitating for the payment of their salaries accruing up to ten months. They had also been asking government to ensure all programs offered by the polytechnics are duly accredited.