Staff of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH), Igboora, have embarked on an indefinite strike over fractional and delayed salary payments.
Three workers’ unions in the institution under the auspices of OYSCATECH-JAC, comprising the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), unanimously agreed to embark on the industrial action.
A statement jointly signed by the college’s NASU Chairman, Tajudeen Adeyemo; SSANIP Chairman, Oyediran S.O. and ASUP Chairman, Tiamiyu M.B, respectively, in Ibadan, on Friday, said the action became imperative after a series of appeals by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to the management of the institution yielded no positive result.
“The strike officially began on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, following a memo released by the management indicating its inability to augment the subvention provided by the state government to enable full salary payments.
“Staff members have expressed growing frustration over the recurrent delay and fractional payment of salaries, despite the fact that the government had increased the institution’s monthly subvention by 25% since January 2025.
“Additionally, other internally generated revenue sources of the institution have been reviewed upward and approved by the government for the sustainability of the institution.
“To further support funding, school fees for new intakes have been increased by 100% for the current academic session, yet the financial welfare of staff remains unchanged,” the unions said.
The unions, therefore, appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to rescue the workers from what they called dire and demoralising financial situation.
The alleged that this situation has persisted due to the management’s continued failure to pay salaries and allowances as at when due.
“Over the past months, staff members have repeatedly resorted to work boycotts whenever salaries and allowances were not fully paid.
“For example, in May 2025, when only a fraction of staff salaries were paid, we embarked on a three-day strike after management failed to pay the balance despite our pleas.
“Management has continued to claim that the 25% increase in subvention approved to reflect the new national minimum wage since January 2025 is insufficient to sustain full salary payments, even when augmented with internally generated revenue.
“The final straw was the release of an official memo by management, ahead of June salary payments, stating its inability to pay salaries in full.”
The unions said this resulted in convening congress meetings where the staff unanimously rejected management’s position.
“Despite our continued appeals, June salaries were not only delayed but also paid in fractions, leading to the current industrial action that commenced on July 1, 2025.
“As of today, no progress has been made, and management insists there is no available fund to complete the payments,” the statement added.
The unions further described as disheartening that only the institution has consistently faced this challenge among all the tertiary institutions in the state.
“The entire staff of the institution is calling on and appealing to the state government, under the leadership of Governor Makinde, to urgently intervene and come to the aid of the institution,” the statement concluded.
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