Nigeria Content Online

The workers unions
at the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State, yesterday began
an indefinite strike over the state government’s refusal to implement a
new salary scale. The striking workers who carried placards of various
inscriptions locked the main gates of the college as early as 8.00am.
They vowed not to return to the duty post until government implements
the new pay rise, and accused the government of marginalising them.

Addressing workers
in turns, the chairman of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union
(COEASU), Tope Egunjobi; Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education
(SSUCOED), Charles Egunjobi; and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU),
Femi Ajayi, all contended that Governor Kayode Fayemi had agreed that
they would be paid with the new salary scale beginning from January
2011.

“All the
institutions in the state are being paid with the new salary scale. We
don’t know why the state government has been partial to the workers of
College of Education, Ikere Ekiti. Even the workers of the University
of Education (TUNEDIK), whose licence was revoked by the National
Universities Commission (NUC) are being paid the new salary scale,” the
unions alleged.

The acting provost
of the college, Titilayo Ogunmola, could not be reached for her
reaction as she was said to be in a meeting with officials of the state
government in Ado Ekiti over the issue.