Osun speaker shuns union members protesting against unpaid salaries

SPEAKER, Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, yesterday shunned members of the academic staff unions of the state-owned polytechnics and colleges of education, who were protesting against the non-payment of their salary arrears by the state government, asking them to direct their grievances to the state governor.

The workers under the aegis of Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State-owned Tertiary Institutions (CASUOSTI) led a rally to the House of Assembly to present a letter to the legislators, seeking their intervention.

The union however described Salaam’s action as undemocratic, alleging that the legislators had colluded with the executive to subject the workers to undue hardship.

In a letter presented to the Assembly, the workers are requesting for the intervention of the House in the resolution of the crisis plaguing the education sector in the state.

The letter titled “Save Our Souls: A plea for House Intervention on Injurious Implementation of Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and other Festering Issues in Osun State-Owned Tertiary Institutions,” the workers are among other demands, appealing to the legislators to avert the government’s miscarriage of CPS.

According to the letter signed by CASUOSTI Chairman and Secretary,Lasisi Jimoh and Olusegun Lana, chairmen and secretaries of all the four polytechnics and the two colleges of education, “the government has miscarried the law on CPS on retirement benefit bond, group life assurance and employee-employer’s monthly contribution.