Bright Ewona, Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic on Monday declared a one-week warning strike by the Cross River College of Health Technology over the suspension of its Consolidated Polytechnic and Colleges of Education and Academic Salary Structure by the state government.
Speaking to journalists, Ewona said that union members were no longer comfortable with the suspension of the salary for both academic and non-academic staff of the institution.
He explained that the suspension of the Consolidated Polytechnic Academic Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and the Consolidated Tertiary Educational Salary Structure (CONTEDISS) by the state government was “unwarranted”.
According to him, CONPCASS and CONTEDISS salary structures were approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission in 2010 and implemented in 2011 for all Polytechnics, Monotechnics and College of Health Technology in Nigeria.
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“While other institutions of the same cadre, both at federal and state levels, were enjoying the scale, Cross River College of Health Technology was denied benefit for over seven years. Kudos to Gov Ben Ayade who saw the pain in our hearts and granted approval for the implementation of the structure for the college in September 2018,” he said.
The chairman noted that the college in its magnanimity conceded the arrears as part of its sacrifice and contributions for the support and promotion of this administration.
He described the sudden withdrawal of these structures from the college in November 2019 after the re-accreditation of the college and its programmes by the National Board for Technical Education and the various professional bodies as unfortunate, disappointing and de-motivating to the entire college community.
Also speaking, Emmanuel Enyiegor, Acting National Secretary of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, also called on the state government to re-instate the CONPCASS and CONTEDISS salary structure for staff of the college.
Enyiegor said that it was sad for the state government to flaunt a state institution and expect the management to operate below minimum standard.
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