Lecturers in Colleges of Education under the auspices of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) on Friday accused the federal government of stalling the growth of workers in the nation’s Colleges of Education through the Non promotion of lecturers in the system and withholding their checkoff dues in total violation of the Trade Union Act.
The lecturers are not happy with the government over the stalling of renegotiation of its agreement with unions in the Sector, blaming the leadership of the Committee of Provosts for the stalled renegotiation and called on the Minister of Education to immediately call call the leadership to order or face a nation wide Industrial action.





Addressing a news conference in Abuja, National President of the Union, Comrade Nuhu Ogirima said the union was giving the government two weeks within which to call the Chairman of the Committee of Provost, Prof Okechukwu Ogbuagu to order and recommence the renegotiation or face what he called system shut down”
He also accused the Accountant General of the Federation of withholding check off dues of members of the union and contributions of staff into the staff welfare cooperative society in contravention of the Trade Union Act.
While describing the action of the Accountant General as unacceptable, Comrade Ogirima said the Trade Union Act stipulates that check off dues shall be deducted from staff and remitted to the unions within two weeks, pointing out that it is an act of illegality for the government, through the Accountant General to hold on to union dues.





He explained that the explanation from the office of the Accountant General was that the government has recently developed a new template for the payment of salaries which does not recognize check off due, adding that such an action was unacceptable as it violates the laws of the land.
He reminded the Accountant General that withholding cooperative contributions from workers was also an illegal act saying “do we really need to remind government t that the deductions for cooperative societies are hard earned monies of staff struggling for survival amidst the contemporary exploitative and harsh economic realities of our dear country?
Ogirima complained of the the shortfall in their salaries since 2015 and the Non payment of Peculiar Academic Allowances since 2014, saying “we know that the government is making effort to pay other sister institutions such allowances, bug in our own case, they are not bothered”.





He expressed sadness that despite the Paris Club refund to states, several state government have refused to pay the salaries of lecturers in their Colleges of Education ranging from 8 to 28 months.
He accused the Kaduna and Niger state governments of refusing to implement the CONPCASS salary structure in their states, but instead are still paying their lecturers based on the old CONTISS.
He asked the Governors of the two states to take verifiable steps towards Implementing the current salary structure for the Colleges of Education, while asking the various states owing arrears and salary and promotion to commence immediate payment or face Industrial action.






He said the government should not hold them responsible for any break down if Industrial harmony in the Sector, stressing they may be compelled to “do what we are not known for. We have refrained from going on strike because of the respect we have for the President and because of the intervention of National Commission for Colleges of Education. But our patience is running out”.



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