In what appears a clear breach of trust, contrary to the minimum wage agreement entered into by the Seyi Makinde Government with labour unions in the six state-owned tertiary institutions, the Oyo State Government has in a separate meeting with management of these institutions instructed them to “augment” whatever increment occasioned by the signed minimum wage.
Recall that representatives of the six state-owned tertiary institutions under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) had signed an agreement on the minimum wage with the Commissioner for Education, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, who represented the Oyo State Government, sometimes early this month. Summary of the agreement, was the commencement of the payment of the minimum wage from January 2020. In fact, workers were supposed to have received their first minimum wage salary payment as their January, 2021 salary, with the arrears of December, 2019 paid alongside. JAC, this newspaper understands, had even negotiated the payment of the 11months arrears once or twice, depending on government’s finances. In all of these, OYOINSIGHT.COM scooped, that there was no time Government ever hinted that the increment would be borne by each institution.
It was therefore surprising, when workers learnt of the meeting with their management and government where the latter passed the buck on the former.
This move, OYOINSIGHT.COM gathered, has enraged workers in the affected institutions, who decried the manner in which the Makinde Government seemed to be treating them. The workers, who felt betrayed, sought to know why it has become difficult for Government to implement an agreement it freely entered into, when it in fact, knows the financial position of each institution, having appointed a consultant to oversight their accounts.
“We’re amazed at this style adopted by government, even in its first term,” workers who spoke with this newspaper lamented. “Is it that it seeming pro-worker disposition is all a gimmick in the first place?”
OYOINSIGHT.COM learned that Government seemed to be looking at the buoyant status of certain institutions like The Polytechnic, Ibadan and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, forgetting that the remaining four cannot afford that augmentation, at least, in the long run.
“Even these perceived buoyant two, how long can they survive?” the workers queried.
Readers will recollect that the tertiary institution sector of the state public service was for a number of years engaged in a bitter feud with the last government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi, over the latter’s unilateral decision to cut subventions, first to zero percent, and subsequently to 25% between 2016 and 2018. That decision drew the ire of the affected workers, and led them to the embrace of then PDP Candidate, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
Now that Governor Makinde has begun his own moves by breaching an agreement entered into less than three weeks ago, workers in the state-owned institutions are afraid their joy, which knew no bounds at the signing of the agreement, may have gradually been ebbing away.
