Members of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) have called for dialogue with the Kwara State government over the non-implementation of consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage among staff in the three colleges of education in the state.
Speaking with journalists during the South-West zonal delegates conference in Ilorin, on Wednesday, the national vice president, South West, Comrade Segun Lana, said that the dialogue between the two parties is what could prevent impending industrial action.
Comrade Lana, who described the call as the last warning from the union, said that "COEASU is not a timid union. We are only considerate because of the children that we train, who are the children of ordinary people of this country."
"Some of the issues we have with the state government include implementation of consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage. Unfortunately, while other MDAs have enjoyed the meagre consequential effect of the new national minimum wage by the state government, our members as if we're second class citizens in Kwara state, have been left out in the implementation. It's all-encompassing in some other states.
"We mould the mind and destiny of youth of the country, and it is how well we're able to do our work as teachers that determine how bright the future of this country would be.
2: Mutilated salary structure should stop. There should not be 70 per cent of consolidated polytechnic college of education academic staff salary structure (CONPOCA) This salary structure is law.
3: Implementation of retirement age.
4: Poor and paltry subvention to colleges
"We expect the state government to look into the issues before they degenerate to the industrial crisis.
"We are sending this as our last warning because COEASU is not a timid union. We are only considerate because of the children that we train, who are the children of ordinary people of this country.
"We have concern for them. If the government is concerned about the security and true development of this country, then it should be serious about the education of these children because if we fail to train them, then we're making life more difficult for ourselves. These children are the children of those that voted for the politicians to get to power and they deserve dividends of democracy.
"We see ourselves as their parents in principle, and we know the adverse effect of interrupted training on the eventual products. Interrupted training reduces the competence of the products. That's why we're very slow to declare industrial action.
"Kwara State government should be blamed if the present Industrial harmony being enjoyed with our members across the three COE in the state is interrupted. We're calling for dialogue and the government should seize that opportunity to come to the negotiation table to avoid waste of man-hour resources and security challenges that may be associated with sending these children out of the classrooms to the streets.
"We are ready to negotiate. We know the economic situation of the country. We also know the efforts of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq even for our system. We commend the governor for providing the meagre subvention because the situation is worse in some places.
"And for promising to support accreditation of our colleges. But issues that are prone to the industrial crisis should be resolved amicably. The governor should find time out of his tight schedule to look our way," he said.
