The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has directed lecturers under its umbrella to go to work only two days weekly until the federal government gives a positive reply to their demand of a 200 percent increase in salary.
This directive was contained n a statement signed by COECASU’s national president, Dr Smart Olugbeko in Abuja on Wednesday, July 19.
Olugbeko said this is part of the resolve at the union’s extraordinary meeting held on Tuesday.
According to him, the implementation of the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government two months ago had raised the price of a litre of petrol by 250 percent.
He said: ”This worsened the inflationary rate on the cost of transportation, food, and other essential commodities and impoverished the Nigerian people.
”Workers, including staff of colleges of education, kept faith with the government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while as the government promised to roll out palliative measures.
”Alas! While our capabilities to sustain hope were already exhausted, the price of petrol rose further to N650 per litre.
”Now, the leadership of the union has been inundated by members’ complaints that they could no longer go to work as a result of hike in the price of petrol and resultant high cost of transportation.”
The union’s boss reiterated that the decision to direct members to go to work only two days in a week is inevitable as things stand now.
