The Academic and non-academic staff of Osun State-owned tertiary Institutions have called on the state government to decentralise the planned staff audit of the state workforce.
The unions gave the call during a press conference by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP of both the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke and College of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU of the College of Education, Ila-Orangun in Osogbo on Tuesday.
Also, part of the press briefing were members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.
Speaking on behalf of the unions, Fatai Afolabi, ASUP Chairman, OsunPoly, Iree maintained that they were not against the staff audit for the Osun workforce but alleged that the consultant engaged by the state government was not competent.
They also asked the state government to review the audit procedure or be ready to have a strike action to contend with.
“We write to draw your attention to the circular dated 26th June 2023 with Ref. No. MHRCB/001/T/30, which emanated from the Office of Permanent Secretary, Human Resources on the 2023 Staff Annual Audit.
“We are not against the proposed annual staff audit exercise but we vehemently oppose the modus Operandi, which centralized the whole exercise at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding for the following reasons.
“Shutting down the State-owned tertiary institutions for three or four days will affect the running of the institutions where ex-students coming from various parts of the country would not be able to process and collect their statement of results, certificates and transcripts among others.
“Taking from the above, the current students of the institution would be denied access to teaching and learning for these periods of time which may lead to students unrest, the risk involved in the mass movement of workers from various, parts of the state may be ameliorated if the exercise is decentralized considering the level of insecurity in the country.
“Considering the present situation of the country with sudden subsidy removal without any policy or palliative in the state, the cost involved in mobilizing all workers to a centralised place will be reduced if the exercise is decentralized.
“Most of the Institutions are preparing for the accreditation exercise which entails all staff will be on ground as the exercise is paramount to the survival of the institutions.”
Part of the demands of the unions include: “That the government maintain the natural tradition of the exercise whereby members are attended to at their various institutions/campuses without affecting their daily schedule of duties.
“The Union demands the immediate decentralization of the 2023 annual Statewide staff audit. Lastly, the Government is enjoined to grant the above-stated prayers to maintain industrial peace and harmony that we have been enjoying in the State.”
DAILY POST recalls that the Osun State Government had assured the state civil servants that the staff audit was not a witch hunt.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had also assured the state workforce that the audit will strengthen the capacity of the state government to satisfy the needs of the workers, the members of the public and the state leadership.
The state labour unions had initially kicked against the audit because they were not consulted nor carried along