Tertiary institutions in Kwara State have declared another indefinite strike action following the inability of the state government to fulfil an agreement signed with the officials of their Union in March this year. Chairman and secretary of the committee of Unions of Tertiary Institution (CUTI) in Kwara state, Saad Hadi and AbdulKareem Kanike announced yesterday in a statement made available to reporters in Ilorin.

The Unions, which include those of academic and non-academic staff of the state Colleges of Education in Ilorin, Oro and Lafiagi and the College of Islamic Studies, Ilorin, are demanding for implementation of the 100 percent payment of their new salary packages including arrears from January 2009.

They also accused the state government of reneging on its agreement to pay the new salary under the pretence that the government officials that signed the agreement with the union on March 29, 2011 did so under political tension.

The CUTI accused the government officials of being deceitful and insensitive to the plight of the union members and the affected students of the institutions.

"The state government had approved the payment of 100 percent CONTISS and 50 percent CONPCASS with effect from May 1, 2011 but refused to implement it," Messrs Hadi and Kanike said. "The agreement signed with the workers of the tertiary institutions included the retirement age of the academic staff, which is now fixed at 65 years." They pointed out that the union leaders decided to call off the earlier strike, which started January 2011, following the agreement signed with the workers on March 29, 2011 by some government officials including the head of service, Mohammed Dabarako and former commissioner for Education, Bolaji Abdullahi.

The unions however described the allegation by Mr Mabarako that he was coerced into signing the agreement because of the political tension in the state as shameful.

Out of pocket

The unionists also alleged that government has directed the ministry to embark on retrenchment of staff before it pays the new salary structure, saying this was against the promise made by the government not to victimise any staff that participated in the strike.

"We appeal to well meaning citizens of the state to intervene and prevail on government to stop playing politics with the future of students of the affected institutions," they said.

"Finally we wish to state that the various conditions spelt out by the head of service cannot be traced to any existing document." Mr Dabarako has however appealed to the workers to exercise patience and return to the dialogue table.

"The state government has not reneged in the payment of the salary as agreed, but urged the striking workers to understand the financial position of the state government at present," he said. "What is left as monthly subvention for the state, after servicing its loan, is scarcely able to take care of immediate state expenditure not to talk of additional financial burden."