Add as a preferred source The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of unions in Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions has suspended its indefinite strike and directed members to resume work with immediate effect. The decision followed government intervention in some of the issues that led to the industrial action. The unions commenced the strike in early September over the failure to fully implement agreements reached between the Federal Government and the unions, particularly financial obligations and other outstanding provisions of the agreements.
The action involved members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) in the state-owned universities. In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of JAC-ODSTI, Comrades Tayo Ogungbeni and Kunle Akinwonmi, the unions said the decision to suspend the strike followed financial intervention by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa towards addressing the outstanding issues.
The affected institutions are Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; and the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo. While the intervention addressed the financial component of the dispute, JAC-ODSTI said the non-financial aspects of the Federal Government-unions agreement remained outstanding and must be addressed by the management of the institutions.
The unions, therefore, urged the university authorities to commence immediate action on the outstanding provisions, stressing that their implementation was necessary to ensure lasting industrial peace in the institutions. JAC-ODSTI commended Governor Aiyedatiwa, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties and Union Matters, Comrade Bola Taiwo, for their interventions in resolving the dispute.
The unions also appreciated the Nigeria Union of Journalists and members of the public for their support towards ending the industrial action. They, however, warned that failure to promptly resolve the remaining non-financial issues could lead to another industrial dispute in the affected institutions.
