ACADEMIC activities in Edo State-owned tertiary institutions were yesterday grounded as both academic and non-academic members of staff began a seven-day strike.

They said the strike was aimed at pressurising the state government to pay their 16 months salary arrears owned members of staff of the institutions arising from differential in the implementation of salary structure of CONPCASS and CONTEDISS from July 2009 to October 2010.

The affected institutions are College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; College of Education, Ekiadolor; Institute of Management Technology, Usen and College of Education, Igueben.

Students at the College of Education, Ekiadolor, were yesterday disappointed when they came for lectures and discovered that lecturers had abandoned classrooms.

The leadership of the Coalition of Unions of State-Owed Tertiary Institutions however regretted that several attempts to resolve the dispute between the unions and the state government had yielded no result and insisted that the only way out of the impasse is for government to meet their demand.

But the state’s Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr. Washington Osifo, described the strike action as unfair, saying that the workers failed to give government the opportunity to iron out the problems after a meeting last week Thursday.

He said: “Prior to 2012 when the Federal Government announced the new salary structure, state-owned tertiary institutions were covered. But we needed to domesticate it and that was negotiated by the Federal Government and not states. So, it is not like a fiat. You have to make provision for that at the state level and we decided to key in into the federal structure so that they will benefit when some states even refused.

“Because the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led administration holds education in a high esteem, he said we will abide to the Federal Government agreement as regards those workers. But in 2012, they met with government and said the arrears should reflect the new structure but government said no it was not going to pay any arrears but we will key into the new structure.

“We started the implementation of the new salary structure only for them recently to start insinuating that they wanted to drag government to the table asking for 16 months arrears and we said it is retroactive. On Thursday last week, government sat with them to table their request and they were reminded that in 2012, government said they were not going to pay and they did not raise any eyebrow so why are they raising it now.”

Meanwhile, the striking lecturers also frowned at the inadequate funding, irregularity in payment of monthly salaries, decay and dilapidation of infrastructure and non-accreditation of some courses in the institutions.

President of the Coalition of Unions, Mr. Fred Omonuwa, said their demand was articulated to the state governor through the Commissioner for Special Duties and Establishment and copied the Commissioner of Education and Agriculture.

He stated: “For over two years now, tertiary institutions have been trying to ensure that the 16 months salary owed members of staff of these institutions arising from the differential in the implementation of the salary structure of CONPCASS and CONTEDISS from July 2009 to October 2010 are paid.

“Suffice to say that several correspondence had been made between the unions and the state government with a view to paying these arrears, particularly when our sister institution, Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma, had its arrears paid by the Edo State government. On several occasions, the unions have had to call off industrial actions as a mark of solidarity with the governor.

“If government is not sure about the sincerity of the various management in respect of their inability to pay monthly salaries and other entitlement of workers as at when due, she has the right to investigate the authenticity or otherwise of the claims of the management.”

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/national-news/175739-tertiary-schools-begin-warning-strike-in-edo