Joint Action Committee(JAC), the umbrella body of the state-owned tertiary institutions of higher learning in Oyo-State held a crucial meeting on Thursday, 24 June, 2021 at Oke Ogun Polytechnic, Saki to deliberate on lingering issues affecting the union members.
According the communique issued and signed by the chairman, Oyewumi Segun, at the end of the meeting, JAC condemned decaying infrastructure in Oyo state campuses and called on government to fully implement “January and April,2021 Agreements”.
The full communique reads;
“THE COMMUNIQUÉ OF MEETING OF THE JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE (JAC) OF ASUP, COEASU, SSANIP AND SUCCOEN OF EACOED OYO, TOPS SAKI, AOP ERUWA, OYSCOED, LANLATE AND OYSCATECH IGBOORA HELD AT THE OKE OGUN POLYTECHNIC, SAKI ON THURSDAY 24/06/2021”
INTRODUCTION
The meeting was convened to consider the situation report across the institutions especially in relation to the implementation of the January 2021 agreement between the body and the state Government.
On sundry issues, the body noted that there exist myriad of unsettled work claims. Worse still is the continued accumulation of these work claims even after penning the agreement.
ACCREDITATION
In some of the institutions, especially OYSCOED, Lalante, TOPS Saki and OYSCATECH, Igboora, accreditation of some courses and provision of requisite funds for such remains unresolved.
DECAYING INFRASTRUCTURE
The spate of infrastructure decay across the institutions remains worrisome to the workers unions but contrary is the lackadaisical attitude of the present day Government towards stemming the tide and restoring the declining standard.
THE JANUARY 2021 AGREEMENT
JAC noted with utmost chagrin that despite fulfilling her own part of the agreement by immediately suspending her industrial action on April 28, 2021 immediately after signing the agreement, the Government had reneged on her own part of the agreement by not fulfilling her own parts of the agreement.
Item I, of the agreement is explicit in the defrayment arrangement of the accrued 11 months arrears thus: ‘2 months with April 21 salary.’ As at this day, workers in OYSCOED, Lanlate are yet to receive the arrears of December 2020, January and February 2021 (3 months).
Specifically, items 2 of the agreement states that ‘The proposed expenditure per semester of each institution would be considered through a tripartite meeting of the ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Governing Councils and respective management, so as to run the School effectively’. This bullet was included in the agreement to reduce the excessiveness of platinum consultants, but several weeks after all the Schools had commenced new semesters, such meetings had not been convened.
JAC wishes to bring to the notice of the general public that, her members had sufficiently demonstrated a high level of patriotism and support for the Government by since suspending her industrial action even without Government acting as expected in line with the spirit of sustaining industrial harmony on the campuses. The public should also note that, monthly subventions to the institutions had not been appropriately reviewed in line with added burden of the new minimum wage, hence the institutions are being yoked by the burden.
OUR INTERESTS
The utmost interest of JAC is clear. JAC is most interested in having hitch free academic sessions and restoration of fallen standard of our institutions back to their glorious parts through sustained industrial harmony which can only be attained if all parties played their respective parts. Hence, we hereby demand that:
The requisite tripartite meeting to considered expenditure per semester of each institution be convened without any further delays.
The staff of OYSCOED, Lanlate be paid their due December 2020, January and February 2021 (3 months) arrears of minimum wage immediately
All accreditation related issues across the affected institutions be resolved by the Government through the provision of funds for institution that had recently done theirs end institutions preparing theirs.
Immediate approval of the expenditure per semester of each institutions for smooth running of the institutions.
The doors of dialogue should be kept open at all times, in line with the content of all our previous agreement (January and April 2021) that the agreement will be reviewed after six months and that Government will always engage JAC in continuous dialogue to ensure harmony on the Campus.
CONCLUSION
It is our sincere hope that the Government will promptly attend to the issues so raised in this Communiqué. JAC had not only shown her patriotism to the Government of the state but had also demonstrated our love for our students and their parents, the Educational system especially the tertiary institution sector by displaying high levels of tolerance and patience thus far. While our patience lasts, we may be constrained to reconsider the present status of our industrial action, if the Government remains adamant in not fulfilling her part of the bargains.
Attached are copies of earlier agreements.
Thank you.
Long live Oyo State.
