Oyo college lecturers, workers call off four-month strike

The striking lecturers and non-academic staff of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo in Oyo state have suspended their four-month old industrial action with immediate effect. Besides, the institution’s branch of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has also tendered “unreserved apology” to the management of the college for what it called deplorable conduct […]

The striking lecturers and non-academic staff of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo in Oyo state have suspended their four-month old industrial action with immediate effect.

Besides, the institution’s branch of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has also tendered “unreserved apology” to the management of the college for what it called deplorable conduct of some of its members.

The institution’s academic and non-academic staff had been on strike since June 28, 2018, in protest against delayed payment of salary arrears, which the governing council is said to have recently decided to clear in instalments.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Dr. Bisi Akin-Alabi, led the government’s team to the meeting, while the chairman of the institutions branch of COEASU, Mr. Olusegun Oyewumi, and other union leaders also attended.

The Provost of the College, Dr. Rasak Adefabi, led the management delegation to the meeting, which was also attended by students unions’ representatives, led by the chairman of the state’s axis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Mr. Moronkola Teslim.

The joint communiqué, which was issued at the end of the five-hour parley, indicated that the lecturers would suspend their strike on November 6, following which payment of outstanding salaries will commence immediately, starting with the October 2018 salaries.

The communiqué, signed by all the union leaders, also stated that academic activities would resume fully with immediate effect.