COEASU Strike has been called off on
Thursday, July 17th, 2014. This is the latest update today on COEASU
Strike, Colleges of Education will resume on Monday 21st July, 2014.
This is an end to the seven-month-old strike which has paralyzed
academic acivities in Colleges of Education in Nigeria.
Read the full details of the COEASU Strike Suspension as reported by TribuneNG:
Colleges of Education Lecturers (COEASU) Call off Strike
Colleges of Education Academic Staff
Union (COEASU), on Thursday, announced the suspension of its
seven-month-old strike, effective from next week Monday.
The strike will be suspended for three
months, within which the Federal Government is expected to fulfill the
demands of the union.
President of the union, Mr Emmanuel
Asagha, said the union decided to give the government three months to
enable it meet up with its demands, following the intervention of the
Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.
He added that the lecturers would return back to trenches should the government renege on its promise.
Speaking after a closed door meeting
with the two Ministers of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and Mr
Nyesom Wike in Abuja, the COEASU boss said “we want to give the new
minister the benefit of doubt, as he mentioned God a number of times
while pledging his commitment to us and we believe he is committed to
resolving the remaining issues.”
Asagha said all striking lecturers will be directed to resume work effective from next week Monday.
It will be recalled that the chairman,
Committee of Council Chairmen of Federal Colleges of Education, Senator
Emmanuel Anosike, on Tuesday, held the truce meeting with the COEASU at
the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) as the
lecturers met to review the strike.
All the stakeholders at the meeting later agreed that the ongoing industrial action by the union had been prolonged.
The COEASU leadership and all other
unions in the sector present at the meeting called at the instance of
the minister, said government had met a reasonable number of the
union’s demands and it appears determined to address the unresolved
issues, hence the need to suspend the strike.
The union agreed to call off the strike
in principle, subject to the following: That there shall be no
victimisation on the basis of the strike; salaries so withheld be
released in bulk; circular on the implementation should be released,
while asking the government to set up a technical committee to look into
other pending issues.
It will also be recalled that the
COEASU embarked on the indefinite strike over grievances relating to
government’s failure to release the white paper of visitation panel it
undertook two years ago, among many other contending issues.
Earlier, Shekarau assured that issues
raised by the union, which included salary harmonisation under CONTISS
structure, as well as disparity in the civil service system, especially
between degree programmes and other technical- based degrees would all
be taken care of. (Via: Tribune)
The latest news update on COEASU Strike
as at today, Friday, 18th July, 2014 is that the strike has been called
off. Students of Colleges of Education in Nigeria should start preparing
for resumption which has been scheduled for next week Monday.