TASCE Workers Begin Hunger Strike Over Non-Payment Of 28 Months Salaries

Staffers of Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu in Ogun State, last Monday, commenced hunger strike over the non-payment of about 28 months’ salaries allegedly owed them by the state government.
The workers, who lamented that they had almost exhausted all the means of negotiations with the government, also threatened to embark on industrial action if the government failed to yield to their demands before the end of this month (January).
The protesters gathered at the school auditorium where they held a 30-minute spiritual exercise, which was conducted both in Christian and Muslim rites, tagged: “White Monday.”
It would be recalled that the workers had last year written a Save-Our-Soul letter to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on their plights.
Speaking on behalf of the workers, chairman of Coalition of TASCE Staff, Dr. Dan Oludipe said the prayer became imperative because they had lost about 48 members to the struggle.
Oludipe, who maintained that the refusal of the state government to pay the debts had led to untimely death of his colleagues, added that they went for spiritual exercise after unsuccessfully exhausting all other means of negotiation with the government to get their salaries and allowances paid.
“The spiritual controls the physical and we need to commit everything we are doing into God’s hand.
“We held a prayer session last year December where we all wore black and we tagged the prayer session ‘Black Thursday’.
He also claimed that the government owed them 48 months’ salary arrears and several months of unremitted pensions and cooperative deductions.
Speaking on the workers’ efforts, Oludipe said they had written a series of letters to the state government and also reported the case to the Presidency and other personalities across the country, all to no avail.
The workers said they were demanding immediate commencement of the payment of their salaries owed; composition of Governing council for TASCE; promotions of staff with financial implications with immediate effect, among others.