By Ismaeel Uthman
THE last has not been heard about the fallout of joint ownership dissolution of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso between governments of the State of Osun and Oyo State.
Findings by OSUN DEFENDER have revealed that the management of the university has been rolling out some policies that are not favourable to Osun as a former co-owner state and her indigenes.
OSUN DEFENDER authoritatively gathered that the university management has asked Osun indigenes who transferred their services to Osun State University (UNIOSUN) after the dissolution of LAUTECH joint ownership to refund between three and six months salaries.
Professors who transferred their services to UNIOSUN were asked to refund six-month salaries while others below the level of a professor were directed to refund three-month salaries.
The directive was contained in a memo sent individually to each of Osun indigenes who transferred their services to UNIOSUN.
The memo was sent to each of them on April 15, 2021. It was signed by the Registrar of the university, Dr. K.A. Ogunleye.
Investigations revealed that LAUTECH management has withheld the 2013 Academic Earned Allowance and Earned Allowance for both academic and non-academic workers of Osun extraction who transferred their services to UNIOSUN.
It was gathered that the 60 per cent balance of the 2013 AEA and EA, which was paid to all LAUTECH workers two weeks ago was not paid to those Osun indigenes that left the service of the university after the joint ownership dissolution.
The medium learnt that their allowances would not be paid till it accumulated up to three or six months’ salaries to be refunded to the university.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that two out of eight months’ salary arrears were also paid to LAUTECH’s workers on Monday, leaving out those Osun indigenes who have transferred their services to UNIOSUN.
However, the medium learnt that Professor Olu Aina, who led the Osun committee on the dissolution of joint ownership of the university, has waded into the matter.
Some of the affected workers who spoke to the medium yesterday lamented that they were passing through tough period from both LAUTECH and UNIOSUN managements.
The workers chided the State Government of Osun for concealing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the dissolution of the joint ownership, arguing that they would have known what not to expect on the transfer of their services.
They stated that since the dissolution exercise was mutual between the two states, and the workers were given opportunity of transfer of service, it is morally wrong for the LAUTECH management to ask them to refund six- or three-month salaries.
According to the workers, it amounts to breach of trust and backstabbing on the part of the university management, saying that they did not disengage themselves arbitrarily but sought transfer of service based on the letter from the State Government of Osun to the university.
The workers said: “The LAUTECH management demanded for three-month salary arrears for non-professors and six-month salary arrears for professors from those of us that transferred our services to UNIOSUN after the joint ownership dissolution.
“The management has written each of us to that effect. The first step the university took was to withhold part of our arrears that the university owed us. Part of the arrears was paid two weeks ago, but we were not paid.
“They claimed the arrears would be deducted from the six- or three-month salary arrears we were to refund to the university. That means that LAUTECH will not pay the arrears it owed us before we left the university until the salary arrears are fully deducted from our allowances.
“We are expecting the State Government of Osun to come to our rescue. We did not just leave LAUTECH. We sought transfer of service based on a letter from the State Government to LAUTECH management that we should be released with immediate effect. That letter was dated March 31.
“The LAUTECH management is demanding the salary arrears refund in lieu of notice of termination of service. But our case is different from a worker that left an organisation without notice. There was a mutual agreement between Osun and Oyo state governments on the dissolution of joint ownership.
“And there was a letter from the Government of Osun to LAUTECH, requesting for our release. The letter contained the list of every one of us that wanted to transfer our services.
“The State Government of Osun should please intervene in the matter. We are passing through tough time.”
