LASPOTECH Crisis: Management, Unions Must Embrace Dialogue – Resource Persons

Kunle ADELABU

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The two resource persons – Dr (Mrs) Rosemary Daresi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Employment Relations & Human Resources Management, University of Lagos  (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba, and Dr Olufunmi Ajose Harrison, the Director-General, Lagos State Public Service, Magodo, have recommended that both the management and the unions of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, must embrace dialogue if the crisis between them must be resolved.

The two spoke at the seminar organized by the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, on Industrial relation and why workers should not go on strike.

The event was disrupted for about 10minutes when two members of the unions were caught using their phones against the directive given at the beginning of the seminar that participants should put their phones away.

The Principal Officers of the institution had at the commencement of the programme appealed to participants to submit their phones to prevent a situation where any staff member present would be captured and subjected to harassment by the union members for attending or speaking at the seminar.

Meanwhile, Dr Daresi,  while addressing  participants, said that there will always be conflict between the management and the workers of any establishment because of divergent views.

According to her, if such situation occurs, it is important for the two to find a way to resolve it.

“What is important when there is a conflict between the management and the union, like what is happening in LASPOTECH presently, is resolution of differences which is called conflict management.

“Sometimes, employer would want to take advantage of the system to the detriment of workers, whereas, the unions want more pay and better condition of service, like in the case of union members in LASPOTECH.

“From all indications, there are conflicts and crises between LASPOTECH’s management and unions and all attempts to resolve it have proved unsuccessful.”

She stated that the crisis degenerated because of weak internal conflict management system in the institution.

“In any crisis situation, there must be internal mechanism to resolving it as stated by the Trade Union Act. You must follow the laid down procedures to resolve the matter. It is only when the internal effort failed that you will take the matter to mediation.”

She listed other steps in conflict resolution which include reconciliation, industrial panel and National Industrial Court.

“It is after you might have exhausted all these that you will then go on strike”, she stated.

Mrs Daresi,  however, condemned the violent dimension which the crisis in the institution is taking.

“In industrial relations, you are not supposed to create the kind of situation that you are now in because you have to constantly engage in dialogue.

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“It appears that LASPOTECH does not have a system that encourages meeting of the management and the unions from time-to-time. If that is in place, this issue would not have degenerated”, Dr Daresi stated.

“It is disappointing that we now have a situation whereby members of the unions are being alleged to have poured petrol on some people (JAMB staff members).

“It doesn’t speak well when members of academic environment behave like ‘agberos’.

“Since the matter is before an Industrial Court, there is no need to get violent.” She advised both parties

She warned that the two warring parties should put their houses in order, embrace dialogue and desist from actions capable of making the government to close down the institution.

The industrial relation expert, who stated that it is a legitimate right of workers to protest and embark on strike action, also added that an employer also has the right to enforce ‘no work no pay’ principle when workers embark on strike.

In resolving the matter, she suggested that the management should always carry the unions along in its decision-making process, collective bargaining/negotiation while also appealing to the unions to reason with the management on the need for policy reversal and changes.

The second resource person, Dr Olufunmi Harrison, in his submission, stated that there is a serious problem in the institution in the area of knowledge.

He stated that there is need for the warring parties to know their respective rights, duties, obligations and limitations.

“It is wrong for you to lock-out your employer from his place of work”, he told the striking workers.

He called on the management to put in place a system that would encourage regular meetings with the workers and interactions that would engender proper education on duties and obligations.

Mr Harrison also called on the management to institute a channel for effective information dissemination from the management to the workers.

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While stating that the crisis affected the management most, Dr Harrison enjoined those involved in decision-making in the institution to always engage and discharge their duties timely.

He flayed the union members for rejecting the widow of opportunities given by the offices of the Deputy Governor and the Head of Service of the State in resolving the crisis.

While enjoining workers to be realistic with their incomes, he also added that they should be prudent and investment inclined.

While proffering solutions to the crisis in the institution, Dr Harrison stated that LASPOTECH needs to review its scheme and condition of service and motivate its staff members. .

He also stated that the institution needs to overhaul its Human Resource department to make it impact positively on the staff members.

He made this suggestion in relation to LASPOTECH Registrar’s submission at the seminar that some of the union leaders that were sacked or affected by the CONTISS 15 Migration reversal do not have the required academic qualifications to be in the positions they occupied in the institution.

To the union members, Mr Harrison stated that, “the era of ‘aluta’ is over, you need to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Dr Harrison also called for openness, accountability, and credibility on the part of the management to achieve harmonious relationship with the unions.

Speaking earlier, Mr Shakiru Bello, the Registrar of the institution, stated that the purpose of the seminar was to enhance the productivity of the staff members and finding ways to resolving the lingering crisis in the institution.

He stated that the seminar is  part of the management’s efforts aimed at increasing the capacity of the Polytechnic’s workers and is supposed to be held regularly but could not hold since January due to the unions’ strike action.

Mr Bello told participating staff members that the management has been paying workers salaries despite the strike action but the last salary was delayed due to the government’s directive that they should implement the ‘no work no pay’ rule.

“The implementation of the rule does not affect those staff members that have been reporting for duties but we understand that they are being prevented from entering their offices by the striking union members.

“We have no choice than to go back to the government to explain the situation”, he explained.

“To those that have been working to ensure that the whole institution is not portrayed in bad light , I say good work, but you still have to do more”, he appealed.

“Some mischievous elements have been putting LASPOTECH name in the mud on the Internet.

“I know what I was before my employment into LASPOTECH and I know what I have been able to achieve since then.

He appealed to the striking workers not to force government to fight back.

“We don’t have to push government to fight back because if we do, it would not be nice”, the Registrar warned.

He added that the government may be forced to call for reorganization of the institution like what happened during the institution’s previous administrations when the workforce was downsized.

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Also, Mr Bello disclosed that some mischievous people have been making the resolution of the crisis impossible, citing the examples of the interventions by the Deputy Governor of the state , Head of Service, House of Assembly and the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education (OSAE), all of which he said were frustrated.

He denied the involvement of the management in the prosecution of some union leaders of the Polytechnic by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for allegedly pouring petrol on its staff while their colleagues were urging them to “sana si, sana si” (light them up in fire), saying that, “anybody that knows Prof Ishaq Oloyede , the JAMB Registrar, will know that he’s not a man that can be manipulated. His track record at the University of Ilorin is still there for everyone to see. ”

Mr Bello explained that it was the victims that reported the matter at the Shagamu road police station in Ikorodu where their clothes that contained petrol were submitted as evidences.

He also added that the problem with the implementation of the CONTISS 15 Migration started when the representatives of the unions insisted that it must be done across board instead from Level 12 upward as done in other institutions.

Mr Bello submitted that the unions’ demand was carried out under duress when their members held members of the management and Governing Council  hostage and threatened to burn down the building where they were locked up, a situation which, according to him, made the state government directed that their demand should be agreed to and implemented since their lives were being threatened.

In his own remarks, Mr Femi Adebanjo, the representative of the institution’s Governing Council, stated that the seminar was part of the institution’s plan to repositioning the school before the strike action began.  

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“Because of the strike action, we have not been able to achieve our target in the first quarter of the year.

“This gathering is not about intimidating anybody, rather, it’s an avenue to make staff members be aware of the position of the Governing Council and efforts so far made”, he stated.

“This is an attempt aimed at limiting the damages done by the crisis”, Mr Adebanjo stated.

He claimed that he has been a target of attacks while his person has been disparaged on the social media due to the crisis.

While addressing the press at the seminar, Mr Olanrewaju Kuye, the institution’s Deputy Registrar (Information) & Public Relations Officer (PRO), appealed to the unions to embrace dialogue and peace.

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“It is a pity that we cannot do the programme on our campus because you never can tell what the unions could do”, he said while explaining the reason why the programme could not be held on the institution’s premises.

“You can see for yourself that two of them (union members) ; Mrs Tifase Funmilayo and Sulaimon Saheed, came to disrupt the seminar but the security personnel on ground were able to escort them out.

“Members of the media were brought in to cover and witness the seminar and report what you see so that when the information department writes anything out, we are not going to be accused of lying. “

Mr Kuye added that all staff members that matter were invited to the seminar.

“We invited all of them (Unions’ leaders) but as we were sending out the invites, they were sending counter message to their members not to attend but we are surprised to see two of their leaders here today attempting to disrupt the meeting.

“At the end of every war, you will still come to the round table to discuss. I want to appeal to the unions to let us come to the table to resolve this matter.

“Because of the crisis, I have not been able to enter my office this year. Nobody is happy with whatever is happening in the system and whatever that I write, I do so as the PRO of the institution because that is what I am employed to do.”