SSANU-LASU threatens to shut down varsity over members outstanding promotions

 
The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, Lagos State University (SSANU) Lagos State University chapter, has threatened to shut down the university if the management fails to resolve the lingering outstanding promotion of its members.
The union, which is seeking promotion of its members for the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 sessions respectively, is alleging double standard by the Governing Council in its approach to the union’s ongoing strike action.
The Nation gathered that discussions between SSANU-LASU and management have been rosy until ASUU-LASU suspended the strike on Monday, with SSANU now hinging its fate on the Council meeting, which was supposed to hold last week Tuesday. The Chairman, SSANU-LASU Comrade Saheed Oseni, had earlier told our reporter that the Council’s decision  would determinate the union’s next line of action. Prior to that, the members had been involved in skeletal services.
However, the matter took a turn for the worse following the cancellation of the Council meeting. Our reporter gathered that neither the Vice Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa, nor the Registrar, Akin Lewis, attended the meeting. They were said to have sent representatives, a decision, which The Nation gathered further infuriated the Chairman of Council, Mr Olabode Augusto.
With the development, SSANU-LASU called a congress where the Registrar,  who is also a SSANU member, reportedly addressed the gathering, saying Council could not address the issues because the Congress representatives of SSANU were not in attendance.
Oseni said the union smelled a rat, adding that their members, whom the Registrar claimed were not in attendance, called him on phone to intimate him of the VC and Registrar’s absence.

”We felt bad and cheated,” Oseni said. Speaking further, he said: “We believe that if there are similar issues affecting every union on campus, all should be treated equally. If the Council attended to ASUU issues, then it behoves on them to attend to SSANU too. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
“We suspect the Council is trying to use divide and rule tactics here. But we are giving them till Thursday next week to address our issues; otherwise we will shut down this university. It is going to be a full blown battle. Nobody should marginalize us, because we are as important as ASUU. We are also going to draw the attention of all stakeholders to our cause.”
LASU PRO, Kayode Sutton, said: “It is true that some members of SSANU scored over 65 (benchmark for promotion) in the 2011/2012 promotional exercise; but Council looked into it and realised the university did not have enough vacancies to fill them in. Besides, Council observed it had no financial muscle to cater for them. So they have been advised to sit for the 2012/2013 exercise.
“Unfortunately, many of the members did not sit for the exam based on advice from the union leadership, which claimed the 2011/12 promotion was yet to be treated. Those who went and passed have been promoted accordingly. Therefore, Council advised that those who did not make it should sit for the 2013/2014 promotional exercise. Nonetheless, we are urging SSSANU members to resume to work in the interest of all.”
source: http://thenationonlineng.net/new/ssanu-lasu-threatens-to-shut-down-varsity-over-members-outstanding-promotions/

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