Colleges of education senior staff threaten strike over salary issues
The Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN) have called on Nigerians to prevail on the federal government to pay their outstanding salaries or face the risk of an industrial strike after the COVID-19 pandemic.
National President of the union, Comrade Danladi Misheliza, who spoke to the Daily Times in Gombe, said that it is important to state that several letters have been written to the office of accountant general of federation to release all withheld check-off dues, to no avail.
He said that the union sees this as a deliberate attempt by government to strangulate the union and kill education in Nigeria.
According to him, the federal government has failed to accommodation the voluntary contributions of staff and cooperative contributions, and voluntary support to faith based organizations since the implementation of the IPPIS in colleges of education.
This, in their opinion, is a way of frustrating the efforts of the members who save monthly through cooperatives and other welfare schemes and has negated the agreement with government to capture all non-statutory deductions.
He noted with utmost dismay, the misapplication and partial implementation of the CONMESS and CONHESS for medical doctors and other health workers working in the clinics operated by the colleges of education.
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“Despite, the observations made to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSI&WC), which spelt out all the allowances due to doctors and other health workers, nothing has been done to rectify the anomalies, and make-up for shortfalls/under – payments,” the union said.
He therefore, charged the government to correct all the identified anomalies/inconsistencies associated with the payment of February and March, 2020 salaries, before the minimum wage arrears are paid.
He further said that there was a percentage reduction in the payment of peculiar allowances for March salaries and to adhere to the agreed percentage reached between government and the union in order to avoid future industrial crisis.
The national president said the union has consequently, resolved that the deliberate provocation and unimaginable sufferings inflicted on members by these actions should be addressed with the immediate payment of February and March salaries, considering the coronavirus pandamic which had brought sufferings and hardship to families.
