Oyo state-owned institutions’ staff protest non-payment of salary arrears

Workers’ unions in six Oyo State-owned tertiary institutions in Oyo, Igbo-Ora, Eruwa and Lanlate, on Friday, commenced indefinite strike action in protest of over 15 months salary arrears owed its members following 25 per cent subvention being paid by the state government.

The affected institutions included Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH); the Ibarapa Polytechnic; the Polytechnic Ibadan; the Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki; the College of Education, Lanlate and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education (EACOED), Oyo.

The protesting workers shut the gates to the institutions and staged peaceful protest, tagged “Peace walk”, beginning from the front of their school gates and moved round their various host communities to press home their demand.

Speaking with newsmen, Chairman, Joint Action Committee of Trade Unions in all Oyo tertiary institutions, Mr Afeez Adeniyi, said the indefinite strike was inevitable, having hitherto explored all available efforts to resolve the logjam.

He said, “Our resolution is to embark on indefinite strike action after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum issued to government at the meeting of October 19 held at the Oke-Ogun Polytechnic.”

Adeniyi, who spoke in Igboora, said the strike action was to ensure the payment of the 15-month salary arrears and the restoration of 100 per cent salary payment, adding, “The last time we received full salary was December, 2015.

“Since January 2016, we have been receiving 25 per cent salary which we do call subvention. The state government had, since January 2016, reduced subvention to the institutions to 25 per cent, which also reduced the salary to 25 per cent.”

ASUP chairman, Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Mr Segun Aderounmu, disclosed that the workers were not ready to return to work until government pay their 15-month salary arrears and commence full payment of 100 per cent subvention to the institution.

Similarly, Chairman, College of Education Staff Union (COEASU), The Oyo State College of Education, Lanlate, Dr Olatunde Ogundiran, lamented the alleged insensitivity of government to the plight of the staff.

However, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela, debunked the claims that the government owed the institutions such arrears of salaries, adding that the government was releasing money to the institutions on monthly basis.

He said the Governor Abiola Ajimobi-led administration was always alive to its constitutional responsibility of transforming the state and assured that “There is no problem that exists in this earth that does not have a solution.

“So, we are working on the solution. I have met with the unions before and we have met with the heads of tertiary institutions and we are also meeting with the NLC on Tuesday. We believe that we will come to a workable solution to this current imbroglio. The strike will be called off very soon, once we solve the problem.”