Exclusion from 40% pay rise, COEASU kicks

The 40% pay rise paid by the Federal Government to some categories of staff leaving out others is already generating ripples. The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union in a statement has described the exclusion of its members in the recent 40 per cent pay rise for federal workers as a deliberate attempt to create confusion and disharmony within the workforce.

ValidViewNetwork had earlier reported that the 40% pay rise was for only 144, 766 federal civil servants under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure while some other workers such as those under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure and medical doctors who work for the Federal Government and others were excluded.

COEASU in his position commended the pay rise for civil servants, whom it described as “the drivers of government policies,” but noted that it was appalled at government’s “decision to exclude some categories of workers including lecturers and other workers in the tertiary institutions even though the various unions in the sector have made several overtures to government on salary increase.”

“The present action is an attempt by the Federal Government to divide Nigerian workers and cause confusion within the system. The discriminatory increase is an attempt to promote divide and rule and make Nigerian workers unable to speak with one voice on the issues that affect their general welfare.

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“Government, in granting the increase, explained that it was to enable civil servants to cushion the effect of inflation and increase in the cost of living as if lecturers and other workers in the tertiary education sector are immune against inflation and geometrical rise in cost of living.”

The Union lamented that “lecturers and other workers in Colleges of Education had their last increase in salary in 2010 which was 13 years ago.”

The statement read, “The implication is that what the lecturers were earning in 2010 is the same amount they still earn in 2023. There had been various efforts on the part of the union to make the government renegotiate the 2010 agreement that gave lecturers in Colleges of Education the current salary structure even though the agreement should have been renegotiated after three years”.

Some other Unions are already agitating on the decision of Federal Government on the issue, ValidViewNetwork reports.