The striking academic and non-academic staff unions in the six Oyo State government owned tertiary institutions yesterday protested the lingering unpaid salary to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

They threatened to organise the mother of all protests that would paralyse the state government.

The unions said no fewer than 20,000 of its members would be involved in the protest slated for January next year if the government failed to pay 15 months salary arrears owed its members.

Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), Adeniyi Afees, told the monarch that they had come to solicit his support to convince Governor Abiola Ajimobi about the plight of the workers and the over 55,000 students affected by the two months industrial action.

The workers who had been on strike since November 2, this year over reduction of their subvention to 25 per cent are: The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, The Ibarapa Polytechnic, The Oke-Ogun Polytechnic and College of Education, Lanlate.

Afees accused the state government of insincerity with the workers over its promises to resolve the issue.

He pointed out that the committee the government promised to set up was not set up and that the failure of the Oyo State House of Assembly to resolve the issue before they went on 2017 recess as promised at a meeting with the JAC leadership did not help matters.

He reinstated the workers vow not to call off the strike until the government reverted to 100 per cent subvention to the institutions, adding that the workers would resist every attempt by the government to privatise and commercialise tertiary education in the state.

While addressing the workers, Oba Adeyemi thanked them for being peaceful and orderly in their demands, noting that the workers have done him and the stool great honour by bringing the matter to him for a possible resolution.

He assured that he would take the matter to Governor Ajimobi and appeal to him so that the workers could have course to celebrate and enjoy the festive season.

He pleaded with the workers not to go ahead with the proposed plan to occupy the government secretariat pending his mediation and resolution of the matter.

Noting that he had made attempts to reach the governor while the meeting lasted, Oba Adeyemi called for calm and assured that he would update the union leaders on the outcome of his discussion with the governor.