SUBSIDY: UNION DIRECTS COLLEGES OF EDUCATION LECTURERS TO WORK TWICE WEEKLY

Lecturers of colleges of Education Academic Staff Union has directed its members to go to their campuses twice a week till the Government addresses the issues caused by the removal of subsidy due to untold hardship to its members.

PUNCH reports that a press statement issued by its National president, Dr. Sam Olugbeko stated that its members could no longer survive on the current minimum wage and therefore directed members to work only twice a week. Part of the speech says ‘’the implementation of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government two months ago raised the price of 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 faith with the Government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while as the government promised to roll out palliative measures including a significant increase in salaries. Alas! While our capabilities to sustain hope were already exhausted, the price 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 the resultant high cost of transportation. Against the backdrop, it has become inevitable for the union to direct members to go to work only two days weekly  while emergency NEC meeting shall be convened to ratify this decision and decide on the specific days of the week members are to go work’’

He said the present salary of staff of Colleges of Education was approved in the e year 2010, which is 13 years ago. They have been on the same salary since 2010 while petrol was N65/70 in 2010 while petrol price rose intermittently from N65/70 to N650. The salary which was subject to renegotiation at a 3-year interval has remained static for 13 years. The union called on the Government to immediately seek lasting solutions to prevent crisis in Colleges of Education

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