Activities at Oyo State-owned tertiary institutions may be paralysed as academic and non-staff of the institutions commenced a three-day warning strike today.
The academic and non-academic staff, under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Trade Unions in state-owned tertiary institutions, are embarking on the warning strike to press home their demands from the state government.
They announced that the three-day warning strike will commence from Wednesday, May 29 to Friday, May 31, 2024.
The JAC of the trade unions comprises the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics (SSANIP), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).
Its other members are Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN), representing The Polytechnic Ibadan, The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic (TOPS) Saki, Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic (AOP) Eruwa, Oyo State College of Education (OYSCOED) Lanlate and Oyo State College of Agricultural Technology (OYSCATECH) Igboora.
The workers’ union noted in a statement by the JAC Secretary, Akin Adekanbi, noted that the three-day warning strike became necessary after exhaustive discussions and numerous deadlines issued to the state government through the Ministry of Education, noting that no substantive resolutions have been achieved.
The statement reads in parts:”The Joint Congress first issued a 21-day ultimatum on January 31, 2024, followed by a 14-day notice on March 11, 2024, and another 7-day ultimatum on May 10, 2024.
“Each ultimatum was followed by meetings with the Ministry of Education, yet the issues remain unresolved.
“The final three-day notice was issued on May 23, 2024, culminating in 114 days without a resolution from the government.
“On May 27, 2024, a meeting with the Ministry of Education again yielded no concrete resolutions, leaving the JAC with no option but to initiate the warning strike.
“The demands in contention are: implementation of 25/35 per cent salary increment. The JAC is dismayed by the government’s lack of commitment to implementing the 25/35 per cent salary increment, already in effect at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) due to its financial autonomy and robust IGR approved by government) since February 2024.
“This discrimination against Polytechnic and College of Education staff is unacceptable. The treatment meted out to our sector is making us play second fiddle in the scheme of things in Oyo State tertiary Educations sector.
“Apart from LAUTECH and other universities that are highly favoured by government for improved IGR (No deductions of 10 per cent of their revenue by consultant and highly commensurate tuition fees system), there is no Polytechnic or College of Education in Oyo State that can implement the new salary increment without the funding from government.
“We demand the immediate implementation of this 25/35 per cent increment and the payment of arrears from January 2023;
“The Platinum Consultant’s activities have turned into a financial burden, siphoning off 10 per cent of IGR from our institutions. The money that should have been used for academic commitments are being deducted by the said consultant.
“Financial autonomy had been eroded from the institutions against best practices making the system inefficient and ineffective in meeting the demand of an educational institution. This practice must end immediately.
“Notably, all universities in the state– Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo and Abiola Ajimobi First Technical University, Ibadan, were exempted from this arrangement highlighting discriminatory practices against the Polytechnic and College of Education in the state;
“Salary Augmentation: The current salary augmentation policy is unsustainable and detrimental to effective service delivery of our institutions.
“Schools are using substantial proportion of their IGR to augment salary of staff making it difficult to meet essential services and demands of academic institution. Oyo State government should provide full subvention to end this debilitating practice;
“Shortage of Manpower and Casualisation of Workers: There is a critical shortage of both teaching and non-teaching staff within our institutions, with many departments functioning with minimal academic staff of between one and three staff.
“Our Polytechnics and Colleges of Education now rely heavily on casual staff for teaching and administrative functions.
“Some of these casual staff, tagged Teaching Assistants, have spent many years contributing their efforts, energy and academic qualifications to teaching, accreditations and rating of our institutions.
“These casual staff across the institutions should be regularised as permanent employees to ensure dedication and improved service delivery in line with the requirements of regulatory bodies.
“The stagnated non-academic staff (cleaners and gardeners) at OYSCOED, Lanlate for many years past should be regularised;
“Governing Councils: The non-constitution and irregular tenure of Governing Councils about a year since they were dissolved are hindering policy decisions and promotions in our institutions.
“Immediate action is required to constitute these councils with immediate effect for efficient running and management of our institutions;
“2018/2019 Salary Arrears: The non-payment of salary arrears for 2018/2019 in OYSCOED, Lanlate, OYSCATECH, Igboora and EAUED, Oyo is exacerbating the financial hardship of staff. These arrears must be settled without further delay;
“2023 Promotion: The failure to issue 2023 promotion letters to senior staff of our institutions due to the absence of a Governing Council is inexcusable.
“The government must either constitute the councils promptly or authorise the Honourable Commissioner for Education to approve the promotions.
“We call upon the amiable Executive Governor of Oyo State, Mr Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, to intervene and ensure the immediate resolution of these issues in the interest of the tertiary education sector and in alignment with his development agenda.
“The Joint Action Committee remains committed to the progress and welfare of our institutions and hopes for a swift and positive response from the government to avoid further industrial actions.”
