The College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), FCE Pankshin Branch in Plateau, is poised for a showdown with the management of the college over unpaid promotion arrears for its members.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that academic staff members of the college are being owed about six years promotion arrears and have been agitating for the payment without success.
Mr Emmanuel Hemba, COEASU Chairman, FCE, Pankshin, said the union had scheduled a meeting for Friday to address the issue.
The meeting, according to him, is due to the failure of the college authorities to settle the issue in spite of the union’s three-day warning strike which ended on Thursday.
“COEASU had issued 21 days ultimatum to the authorities within which to pay the accumulated arrears of face an outright strike; when that failed, it declared the three-day warning strike. “
Hemba said the meeting was for the union to take a more drastic action.
“We can’t allow this injustice being meted on us to continue; we are meeting on Friday, April 24, to rectify the situation and take drastic stand on the non-payment of our promotion arrears.
“Other colleges of education have paid their lecturers but here in this college, it has one excuse or the other,” the COEASU chairman said.
Hemba said that the union would not tolerate excuses being given by the institution’s management and was prepared to take a final decision.
Responding, Chief C. D. Yakse, the College Registrar, said the problem was not peculiar to the institution but nationwide.
He said the Federal Ministry of Education was addressing the matter.
“All we want from COEASU and its members is understanding and a little patience for the authorities to sort out the issue amicably.
“When this kind of reaction affects academic activities, it does not augur well for either COEASU or the college, “ Yakse argued.
The registrar appealed for the cooperation and understanding of the union for peace and tranquility to continue to rein supreme in the college community.