Poly Ibadan resumption: Our services remain withdrawn —Oyo striking staff

Sequel to the announcement of resumption date by the management of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, Chairman, Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the trade unions of the six Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, Mr Babatunde Adeniyi has said that the services of its striking staff remain withdrawn.

Management of the Polytechnic Ibadan had over the weekend asked new students to begin payment of acceptance fee from Monday while announcing January 15, 2017, as the date for resumption for the 2017/2018 session.

Speaking when members of the staff union picketed The Polytechnic, Ibadan, to ensure that the institution’s gates remained closed, Babatunde maintained that the Oyo state government should settle its salary arrears before the unions would call off their two months old strike.

“We picketed The Polytechnic, Ibadan because Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) has withdrawn their services and we are here to ensure that the gate remains closed.

“What the two unions, (NASU and SSANIP) are saying is that their services still stays withdrawn as long as the strike declared by the six institutions as a result of the reduction of salary to 25 percent by the Oyo state government still remains.

“They can’t resume until we suspend our strike. The six unions declared the strike on November 2, 2017, and this remains. Their services stay withdrawn and the strike continues until the government of Oyo state does the needful,” Babatunde said.

Meanwhile, state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela, has maintained that the state only gives support in form of monthly subvention to the tertiary institutions.

Olowofela who stated this, on Monday, said the state did not owe salaries of tertiary institutions’ staff but that it provided subventions to the institutions just as it paid out workers’ salaries.

He harped on the need for the management of the institutions to be ingenious on generating revenue internally and prioritising how they expend the subventions they get.

Olowofela, however, said that the state government would, in the next two weeks, name the governing council for the state-owned tertiary institutions, to give lasting recommendations on resolving the impasse.