Kwara tertiary institution workers resume strike

Posted by admin Headlines, Kwara, State News Sunday, June 12th, 2011

Workers under the aegis of Unions of Tertiary Institutions in Kwara State comprising four state-owned colleges of education and Islamic studies have declared another round of indefinite strike.

The unions, which include Colleges of Education, Ilorin, Oro and Lafiagi and College of Islamic Studies, Ilorin (COEASU, SSUCOEN and NASU), are demanding for implementation of the 100 percent payment of CONPCASS and CONTEDISS with payment of arrears from January 2009.

The unions, in a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions (CUTI) in Kwara State, Alhaji Saad Hadi and Alh. AbdulKareem Kanike respectively, a copy of which was made available to Daily Sun in Ilorin, accused the state government of reneging on its agreement to pay the new salary under the pretence that the government officials that signed the agreement with the union on March 29 did so under political tension.

The CUTI also accused the government officials of being deceitful and insensitive to the plight of the union members and the affected students of the institutions. According to the secretary of the CUTI, “the state government had approved the payment of 100 percent CONTISS and 50 percent CONPCASS with effect from May 1, but refused to implement it. The unions also added that the agreement signed with the workers of the tertiary institutions included the retirement age of the academic staff, which is now fixed at 65 years.

He pointed out that the union leaders decided to call off the strike, which started since January following the agreement signed with the workers on March 29 by some government officials. He explained that the agreement, which was signed by 23 unions from the four tertiary institutions from the state also had the signature of the Head of Service, Alh Mohammed Dabarako and the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Bolaji Abdullahi on behalf of the government in March was now being denied by the government.

The unions described as shameful the allegation by the head of service that he was coerced into signing the agreement because of the political tension in the state then. The unions also alleged that the government had directed the ministry to embark on retrenchment of staff as a condition to pay the new salary structure, saying it was against the promise made by the government not to victimise any staff that participated in the strike.

The union therefore appealed to well-meaning citizens of the state to intervene and prevail on government to stop playing politics with the future of students of the affected institutions. The union noted that it was rejecting in totality all the conditions given by the state government through the head of service.

-Sunwp_posts