Academic and non-academic staff at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo, Ondo State, have begun an indefinite strike action to protest six months of unpaid salaries and the state government’s failure to implement the national minimum wage. The workers, representing multiple campus unions, staged a mass protest across the polytechnic grounds, displaying placards with messages like “We are hungry, pay our six months’ salaries” and “Implement our 2022-2024 promotion arrears.”
Julius Olugbenga-Aro, the workers’ union chairman, directly appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to immediately authorize payment of the salary arrears and commence implementation of the new minimum wage. The protest comes amid growing frustration among staff who claim the state government has consistently neglected their welfare despite the institution’s critical role in technical education.
This industrial action threatens to paralyze academic activities at the state-owned polytechnic as the workers vow to continue their strike until all outstanding payments are settled and their minimum wage demands are met. The standoff highlights worsening labor relations in Ondo State’s tertiary education sector as the Aiyedatiwa administration faces mounting pressure to address systemic salary delays and benefit arrears affecting public sector workers.
