The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of staff unions in Ondo State’s tertiary institutions has called on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to promptly implement the National Minimum Wage for workers in the state’s higher education sector.
The unions, which represent 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), voiced their frustration over the exclusion of tertiary institution workers from the wage structure that civil servants in other government sectors are already benefiting from.
In a letter to the Governor, the committee highlighted the ongoing neglect of workers at institutions such as Adekunle Ajasin University in Akungba-Akoko, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology in Okitipupa, the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo, and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo, who have been left out of the implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage, despite the approval of 2025 budgetary allocations.
The unions raised concerns over the hardship faced by their members, many of whom are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. They also pointed out that arrears from the 2019 Minimum Wage have not been settled, and wage award payments remain incomplete.
The unions criticized the state government’s lack of action on these issues, describing it as unfair and unacceptable. Despite previous meetings with representatives of the Governor and a communique issued in February 2025, the unions have yet to receive any meaningful response, heightening their frustration.
The committee is now demanding the immediate payment of withheld subventions dating back to January 2017, full implementation of the 2025 budgetary allocations, and the resolution of unpaid pensions and gratuities for retired staff.
The unions have warned that if their demands are not met within 14 days, they will initiate industrial action that could disrupt academic activities across the state’s tertiary institutions.
They emphasized that their struggle goes beyond wages, underscoring the need for justice, fairness, and the dignity of labor.
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