The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of staff unions across Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions has issued a 14-day ultimatum to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, demanding the immediate implementation of the national minimum wage and related salary adjustments.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the governor and jointly signed by representatives of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), the unions decried their continued exclusion from the wage structure already being enjoyed by core civil servants in the state.
They warned that failure to meet their demands within the stipulated timeframe could result in a full-scale industrial action that would disrupt academic activities across several institutions. Affected institutions include Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.
According to JAC, the refusal to implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage, alongside unpaid arrears from the 2019 wage review and wage award payments, has subjected their members to undue hardship and financial stress.
“Previous meetings with the governor’s representatives and the communiqué released in February have not yielded any tangible results,” the letter stated.
The unions are also demanding the immediate release of withheld subventions dating back to January 2017, full execution of the 2025 budgetary allocations for tertiary institutions, and prompt settlement of outstanding pensions and gratuities owed to retired staff.
“This struggle goes beyond wages; it is a fight for justice, equity, and the dignity of labour,” the committee emphasized.
With the clock ticking, all eyes are now on the Aiyedatiwa administration to take decisive action and avert a potential shutdown of the state’s higher institutions.
Comments