Oyo tertiary institution staff to begin strike Thursday

Staff members of polytechnics and colleges of education are to embark on an indefinite strike starting Thursday.

Chairman of the Joint Action Committee, in the state, Dr Kola Lawal, who made this known in a statement on Sunday, explained that the strike is to protest the non-implementation of the new minimum wage for staff of state-owned tertiary institutions.

It would be recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde approved N80,000 as the new minimum wage beginning for several Oyo workers with the January salary.

The JAC chairman, in the statement, noted that though the state government had increased subvention to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, they were worried that the management of the institutions had failed to implement the new minimum wage.

He described the development as unacceptable, claiming that it was only workers in polytechnics and colleges of education that were yet to be paid the new minimum wage.

“It is unacceptable that while other institutions enjoy the new minimum wage, workers in our polytechnics and colleges of education are left behind despite being equally deserving.

“In light of this, we demand the immediate implementation of the new minimum wage for January 2025, as approved by the Governor, and insist that salaries from February 2025 onward reflect the new wage structure without further delay.

“We wish to state categorically that should the balance of the minimum wage table not be paid by Wednesday, 5th February 2025, workers across polytechnics and colleges of education in Oyo State will withdraw their services indefinitely starting from Thursday, 6th February 2025

“This industrial action will be total and comprehensive until the issue is fully resolved. We hope that those responsible for implementing the Governor’s directive will act swiftly to prevent disruptions in academic activities and ensure that workers receive their rightful wages,” Lawal said.

The JAC chairman said the staff of polytechnics and colleges of education were curious that their counterparts in state-owned universities like the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo got the same percentage increase in subvention and had implemented the new minimum wage but the case was different for polytechnics and colleges of education.

The statement further read: “The workers of polytechnics and colleges of education in Oyo State wish to bring to the public’s attention the continued delay in the implementation of the approved minimum wage for our institutions, despite the commendable efforts of His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde to improve workers’ welfare in the state.

“Furthermore, to ensure smooth implementation, the state government increased subvention to institutions, including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, to implement the new minimum wage for workers in these institutions to be paid accordingly.

“However, despite these provisions, the management of our institutions has failed to implement the payment of the new minimum wage as expected. Notably, other institutions, such as LAUTECH and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, which received the same percentage increase in subvention at the same time, immediately implemented the new minimum wage for January 2025.

“Unfortunately, workers in polytechnics and colleges of education in Oyo State have not received the same treatment, even though the funds meant for this purpose have been made available.

“We view this development as a clear neglect of our welfare and an outright failure to uphold the good intentions of the state government, which had taken proactive steps to ensure that workers are adequately remunerated.