The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of staff unions in Ondo State-owned tertiary institutions has called on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to urgently implement the National Minimum Wage for workers in the state’s higher institutions, stressing that they have been unjustly excluded from the wage structure already enjoyed by core civil servants.
The committee, comprising 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)—expressed frustration over the continued neglect of tertiary institution workers in the implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage and related salary adjustments.
In a letter to the Governor, JAC pointed out that while civil servants in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are benefitting from the minimum wage, staff at institutions like Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, have been left behind, despite the approval of budgetary allocations for 2025.
The committee lamented that the exclusion has caused severe hardship and financial strain on their members, many of whom are struggling to meet basic living expenses amidst the rising cost of living in the country.
JAC also highlighted that arrears from the 2019 Minimum Wage have not been paid, and wage award payments remain incomplete.
They described the state government’s silence on these matters as unacceptable and unfair.
According to the workers, previous meetings with the Governor’s representatives and a communique issued in February 2025 have yielded no meaningful response, further deepening their frustration.
The committee is also demanding the immediate payment of withheld subventions dating back to January 2017, full implementation of the approved 2025 budgetary allocations, and the settlement of unpaid pensions and gratuities for retired staff.
They warned that failure to act within 14 days could result in industrial action, which would disrupt academic activities across the state’s tertiary institutions.
In their message to Governor Aiyedatiwa, the unions stressed that the fight is not just about wages, but justice, equity, and the dignity of labor.