Protest by workers of the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OAUSTECH) Ondo state, marred the Monday’s second convocation ceremony of the institution.
The workers under the Joint Action Committee of all Tertiary Institutions, protested against the non payment of N35, 000 wage award by the Ondo State government.
They displayed placards with various inscriptions “all we are saying, pay us wage award, We deserve N35,000 wage award, pay us,’ ‘ Wage award is our right don’t deny us ,’ ‘ We patronize the same market, pay us N35,000 wage award,’ among others
Recall that the workers of all institutions owned by the state government had embarked on indefinite strike since last week.
Speaking on the protest the state Chairman of JAC, of the institution , Comrade Dayo Temola expressed displeasure over the alleged inability of the government to pay the wage award and some other allowances.
Temola said, ” Our joint demand is that they should pay us our N35, 000 wage award that had been paid to all categories of workers in the state. We are also demanding implementation of 2019 minimum wage.
” We are in 2024, yet we have not got 2019 minimum wage, it is shameful and we patronize the same market with other workers who have been receiving .
” Everybody knows what is currently going on in the country even our current salaries can’t take us to the office again for a month.
” We also demand that the monthly subvention of the school should be increased by 100 percent. The government promised us N91million on paper and has been giving us N63milliion.
“It is far low to the wage bills of the university as we speak the university is owning billions of naira from cooperatives and some other allowances. That is our agitation.”
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa who attended the convocation ceremony has however invited the protesting workers to Akure, the state capital, for dialogue.
