VAM News Update
THE national leadership of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) had directed its members nationwide to attend their respective places of work only two days in a week.
National president of the union, Dr Smart Olugbeko, gave the order at a press briefing in Abuja, on Wednesday.
Olugbeko said the national executive of the union arrived at the decision due to the recent price hike on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol.
He lamented that the hike has worsened the inflationary rate on the cost of transportation, food and other essential commodities.
Olugbeko said workers, including staff of Colleges of Education can no longer bear the pains again, adding that they kept faith with the government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while.
“The implementation of removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government two months ago raised the price of a litre of petrol by 250%. This worsened the inflationary rate on the cost of transportation, food and other essential commodities and impoverished the Nigerian people.
“Workers, including staff of Colleges of Education, kept the faith with government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while as government promised to roll out palliative measures including significant increase in salaries.
“Alas! While our capabilities to sustain hope were already exhausted, the price of petrol rose further to N650 per litre. Now, the leadership of the Union has been inundated by members’ complaints that they could no longer go to work as a result of hike in the price of petrol and resultant high cost of transportation.
“Against this backdrop, it has become inevitable for the Union to direct members to go to work only two days weekly while an emergency NEC meeting shall be convened to ratify this decision and decide on the specific days of the week members are to go to work,” he said.
The union leader explained that the present salary of staff of Colleges of Education was approved in the year 2010 – 13 years ago, arguing that they had been on same salary since 2010 while petrol price rose intermittently from N65/N70 in 2010 to N650 in 2023.
“Our salary structure which is subject to renegotiation at three-year interval has remained static for 13 years, skipping four due renegotiations. It is ludicrous that government has refused to return to the negotiation table on the welfare package for staff after the Union, prior to the removal of fuel subsidy, had proposed 200% increase in salary as against government offer of a ridiculous 35% for Chief Lecturers and 23% for other cadres,” he said.
Olugbeko called on President Bola Tinubu to find a lasting and quick solutions to the anguish of workers if the government does not want to see the wrath of workers.
“We call on the FG to urgently do the needful because the inevitable action of the Union against this hardship will have devastating effects on the students as it will lead to a prolonged academic calendar – a semester of 16 weeks will become 32 weeks or more; while Teaching Practice exercise of six months will become 12 months.
“We call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly address the issue of salary adjustment for staff of Colleges of Education.
“We believe in the capacity of the President to address this problem as he did when he was the Governor of Lagos State where he so generously increased the salaries of staff in the then Lagos State-owned Colleges of Education that they became the highest paid nationwide,” Olugbeko added.