The Joint Action Committee of Ondo State-owned Tertiary Institutions has appealed to the acting Governor of the state, Lucky Ayedatiwa to ensure that their members were not exempted from the N35,000 salary award.
The Joint Action Committee in a statement issued on Thursday signed by Chairman, JAC-ODSTIs/SSANU-AAUA, Comrade Tayo Ogungbeni, warned that if their members are not paid before the first week of January 2024, and excluded like the 2019 minimum wage implementation, they would not hesitate to close down all the tertiary institutions in the State.
The statement partly read: "It has come to our notice that all staff of the Ondo State-owned Tertiary Institutions, namely: Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo have tactically been exempted from receiving the recently approved N35,000 Salary Award which has been paid to other public servants in the state.
"It is on record that Ondo State Government was among the first set of states that implemented the 2019 National Minimum Wage for her workforce but staff of all the tertiary institutions were not paid up till today; likewise, the recently approved palliative salary award of N35,000.
"With this development, history is repeating itself in Ondo State that the staff of these tertiary institutions are not part of Nigerian Workers in any way. Is it a sin that we find ourselves in tertiary institutions as workers? Are we not affected by the removal of the petrol subsidy which necessitated the salary award? Are we patronising different markets and fuel stations?"
It explained that Ondo State as an oil-producing state should be a pacesetter for other states to emulate in issues like workers' welfare. "LAUTECH, Ogbomoso was paid the approved N25,000 immediately and all the public servants in Oyo State were paid.
"Lagos State has announced a 50% Christmas bonus in addition to the N35,000 salary award. So also, the River State Government has approved payment of N100,000 flat rate for all her workforce as Christmas bonus."
They lamented that despite billions of naira the state monthly received from Federal Government allocation, there is nothing to show for it.
"We, the Joint Action Committee of Ondo State Owned Tertiary Institutions hereby call the attention of our amiable Acting Governor, His Excellency, Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa to do something positive immediately to ensure that we are not exempted from this salary award.
"We shall not hesitate to close down all the tertiary institutions in Ondo State if nothing is done for us before the first week of January 2024.
"The truth is that none of the institutions in Ondo State can pay this salary award without financial assistance from the state government, the present subvention given to state-owned tertiary institutions is not even enough to pay 50% of staff salaries.
"Alternatively, the state government should handle the payment of this salary award directly for the sake of equity and justice. We would not guarantee industrial peace in our various institutions if we are not paid our salary award before the end of December 2023.
"Do not allow us to die untimely because this hardship is too much for us to cope with."