College workers protest over non payment of CONTISS, CONPCASS-Nigerian Tribune Newspaper of Thursday, 19 September 2013 00:00 Written by Sylvanus Eze -Awka In keeping with the directives from the national executive committee of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) to embark on a seven-day warning strike in various colleges in the country, the academic staff of Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe (NOCEN), Anambra State on Tuesday embarked on a peaceful demonstration to drive home their demands. The staffers, numbering over 100, dressed in black up and down and carrying their placards with various inscriptions, staged a procession from the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) gate, Onitsha to Nwafor Orizu College of Education main campus gate at Nsugbe, about 1.5 kilometers distance. Some of the inscriptions on the placards read in part: “Governor Peter Obi, pay us our Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS)”, “Harmonize NOCEN workers’ salary with other colleges of education in Nigeria”, “It is only at NOCEN that students’ school fees are used to pay workers’ salaries, “NOCEN, the least paid in the country”, “No more Harmonized Tertiary Institutions’ Salary Structure (HATTISS)”. The inscriptions further read: “It is only in NOCEN that HATTISS is being paid”. “No nation can rise above the standard of education”. Government, please pay CONPCASS in NOCEN. HATTISS in NOCEN in 2013 is slavery”. NOCEN workers are retiring with nothing”. “Government of Anambra, pay NOCEN lecturers like their counterparts in the whole federation”. “We need governing council at NOCEN”, among others. Addressing the staffers in front of the College gate, the chairman of NOCEN chapter of COEASU, Vincent Asalu expressed concern that while a senior lecturer in NOCEN earns N142,2250 per month, his counterparts in Enugu State College of Education (Technical) or Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba or Federal College of Education (Technical) Umunze or Alvan Ikoku College of Education Owerri or College of Education, Ikwo earn as much as N265,711 per month. Asalu noted that in the same vein, while a principal lecturer at NOCEN is earning N168,550 per month, his counterparts in the above mentioned institutions earn as much as N326,059 per month, just as while lecturer I, II and III earn N78,600, N66,850 and N58,350 respectively at NOCEN, their counterparts in other institutions earn N177,998, N160,745 and N132,459 respectively. Flanked by the vice chairman, Mrs. A. I. Aguiyi; secretary, U.A.C. Ughaerumba; assistant secretary, I. J. Nzekwu; treasurer, Mrs. I. C. Orakwue; PRO, P. I. Ikokwu, among others, Asalu who attributed the marginal gap on the salary structure between NOCEN staff and others to lack of implementation of 2007 Consolidated Tertiary Institutions’ Salary Structure (CONTISS) and the 2010 CONPCASS at NOCEN till date, said they would help the government with a padlock to close down colleges of education in the event of government’s failure to meet their demand. Asalu who also noted that their decision to avoid singing or chanting songs and maintained sealed lips all through their peaceful procession from FGGC gate, Onitsha to NOCEN gate at Nsugbe, was to avoid their demonstration being hijacked by undesirable elements, noted that they are also protesting against refusal of the state government to lift embargo on employment in the college to fill existing vacancies to encourage effective teaching and learning and at the same time reduce excess work load on academic staff members. They also complained against failure of the government to constitute a Governing Council for effective administration of NOCEN, contrary to the provisions of the law establishing the college; delay in appointment of a substantive Provost of the institution since 2008, as well as poor funding of the college which has placed a heavy burden on students who are made to bear the cost of the running of the college
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 13:05:16 +0000
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