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Tag: Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU)

  • Colleges of education shutdown as COEASU joins NLC strike

    Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has joined the indefinite warning strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    The union cited failure of the Federal Government to implement the new minimum wage as reason for embarking on the industrial action.

    National President of COEASU, Comrade Nuhu Ogirima, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, decried the federal government’s insensitivity to Nigerian workers’ welfare and the pathetic plight of colleges of education.

    He explained that the union joined the strike because it had become evident that both the federal and state governments were not ready to solve the challenges faced by colleges of education in the country.

    Ogirima said: “While the union strives to stimulate her members towards re-dedicating themselves to the selfless service of  humanity, notwithstanding  the  conditions  of  the  work-place  and  lingering work related challenges,  it  has  become  evident  that dialogue  and diplomacy  are  alien  to government’s  lexicon  of  labour  engagement, if  any,  for neither  the Federal  nor  State Governments  is  ready  to  meaningfully  solve the myriad of challenges besetting the COEs.

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    “The Union is quite perturbed because of the grave implication of the foregoing evident neglect on the real training and development practices relating to basic education advancements in the country, since the colleges of education system provide the manpower needs for the foundation level of education, suffices to state that a good foundation is the basis of a sound edifice.“The refusal of the respective governments and various authorities to expeditiously address the issues would be sure recipe for the union to invoke measures that would impede the smooth running of the entire colleges of education system. Ultimately, the peaceful and congenial atmosphere for  which  the  colleges  of education  have  been  known  would  be difficult  to guarantee.”

    He noted that while the organised labour had cause to support the anti-corruption fight of the present administration, government has refused to reciprocate the patriotic understanding by choosing to renege on the much-touted minimum wage review.

    According to him, as an affiliate of NLC, COEASU had no choice besides the call for strike by the leadership of the labour union, adding that it is expedient to also invoke their rights “to take further action against the crass insensitivity of government, at both State and Federal levels, to the plight of the Colleges of Education.”

  • COEASU seeks full implementation of 2004 Pension Reform Act

    The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union ( COEASU ) has called on the Federal Government to implement the 2004 Pension Reform Act.

    The union made the demand in a communiqué jointly signed by COEASU’s President, Nuhu Ogirima and General Secretary, Taiwo A. Olayanju and issued at the end of its national workshop on policy, institutional and industrial issues which held in Abuja.

    The union said the attitude of both the federal and state governments in the fulfillment of their obligations in Contributory Pension Scheme ( CPS ), especially the irregularity in the remittance of their contributions, was one of the factors that engender inefficiency and ineffectiveness by service providers.

    It also said the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information ( IPPIS ) and Contributory Pension Scheme ( CPS ) which was initiated by the Federal Government and adopted by most of the States and most Federal Government MDAs has not been without pitfalls and controversies.

    The communiqué reads: “The participants mandated the union to impress it on government to implement fully the 2004 Pension Reform Act (as amended). The Act provides for the employer is to contribute 10% while the employee contributes 8%.

    “For the sustenance of the symbiotic relationship which union-government relationship ought to be, participants believe that much is required to meet the funding needs of the institutions, which remains the recurrent bane of development and a virile source of agitation by the union.

    “In this regard, the persistent shortfall in personnel allocation to Federal Colleges of Education as well as the non-payment of arrears of promotion, in spite of federal government’s resolve to effect payment, remains a potential source of conflict.

    “The nonpayment of promotion arrears, participants argued portends grave implications, not only on the concept of promotion but on the employee contribution to the pension scheme.

    “Participants, therefore, called on the federal government to facilitate the process of clearance on which the delay in payment has been hinged by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation ( OAGF ).

    “The workshop, in examining the submission on labour issues, observed that both Federal and State governments have not fared well in the various relationships with labour in the system.

    “Against the premise of non-implementation of the various agreements by the government, participants believe that the nation would have been better off, had the 2010 Agreements been implemented to the letter.

    “Participants, therefore, implore government to re-strategize towards ensuring full implementation of the terms of agreement that may emanate from the on-going renegotiation.”

  • Bello proscribes JAC, trade union activities in state institutions

    Bello proscribes JAC, trade union activities in state institutions

    Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Wednesday announced the ban on the activities of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of trade unions and all forms of trade unionism in state-owned tertiary institutions.

    Bello, who made the announcement in a broadcast in Lokoja on Wednesday accused trade unionism in tertiary institutions of impeding government holistic reforms.

    He said he had respect for the rights of all citizens to responsibly associate and pursue their welfare within the ambits of the law and norms of a democratic society.

    The governor said his administration had made tremendous progress in resolving all issues relating to adequacy and frequency of remuneration for all categories of Civil Servants in the State.

    He reiterated his respect for the rights of labour unions in relations to the responsibilities of the owners and proprietors of tertiary academic institutions.

    Bello, however, regretted that the state-owned tertiary institutions’ trade unionism had let itself to impeding government’s efforts to carry out “holistic reforms in the civil service through its unjustified industrial actions.

    “The branch of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) in Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has proceeded on yet another strike for alleged non-payment of salaries and emoluments irrespective of clear evidence of government’s good faith and efforts contradicting JAC’s position,” he said.

    The governor said there was evidence of massive embezzlement at Kogi State Polytechnic’s earnings in excess of N157m committed under JAC’s nose.

    Bello assured that his government remained committed to meeting its obligations to all genuine employees of the state as promptly as available resources would permit.

    “Government will work to ensure uninterrupted academic calendar, henceforth, in all basic education, secondary and tertiary academic institutions in Kogi State.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, and except where specified otherwise, references herein to the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Trade Unions of Tertiary Institutions owned by Kogi State are referred to:

    “The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU). The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP). The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU). The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and The Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN).

    “Others are the National Associations of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and any other Union operating in any tertiary Institutions owned by the Kogi State Government,” he said.

    NAN

  • Lecturers demand management’s commitment

    Lecturers demand management’s commitment

    Lecturers from the Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCOPED), Noforija in Epe, Lagos State, have vowed to continue their indefinite strike ‎until the management pays half of the outstanding debts it owes them.

    The Union Chairman, Mr Michael Adefuye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that the payment would stand as a commitment from the management to the lecturers before the strike could be called off.

    Adefuye said following the declaration of the strike on April 18, the Special Adviser (SA) to Gov. Akinwumi Ambode on Education, had on April 21 invited the union executive for a meeting.

    He said the ‎governor’s aide had appealed to the union leaders to call off the strike as the government had increased the college’s monthly subvention effective from May 2016.

    According to him, the special adviser assured them that when the subvention is increased the management will start paying the outstanding debt monthly until it has cleared all.

    But the chairman insisted that the management must pay half of the outstanding debt, as a commitment before suspending its strike.

    According to him, the union insisted so because the current provost has just three years more to spend with the college.

    He noted that the outstanding debt was 42 months of unremitted pensions to the Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) and must be cleared before the end of the tenure of the present administration.

    “From our calculation, if we agree to the monthly payment of the debt as proposed by the SA, the present management will not finish paying the debt before the expiration of the present provost.

    “That is why we are insisting that half of the debt, which is 21 months be paid, so that the remaining 21 months can be paid before the tenure of the provost lapses,’’ he said.

    He said that the executive would call a congress next week to table the outcome of the meeting with the special adviser.

    ‎NAN reports that the lecturers, under the auspices of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), MOCPED, Noforija, Epe Chapter, had on April 18, declared an indefinite strike and staged a peaceful protest.

    The union said it declared the strike as a result of the non-implementation of its demands by the college authorities.

    It was demanding for the payment of 42 months’ of un-remitted pensions to the Pension Funds Administrator (PFA) ‎after the state government increased its monthly subvention in 2013.

    It also accused the management of collapsing the degree programmes with Ekiti State University (EKSU), while others such as Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) and Federal College of Education, Akoka, affiliates were flourishing.

    ‎According to the union, the present administration lacks transparency in the financial administration of the college’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), TETFUND and subvention, among other complains and demands‎.