Colleges of Education teachers vow to resist government’s ‘no work, no pay’ policy

The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has vowed to resist the planned ‘no work, no pay’ policy of the Federal Government.

A statement signed by the National President of the union, Nuhu Ogirima, in Abuja, yesterday, condemned the policy, saying rather than own up to its failure to deliver good governance, the federal government is threatening the larger populace and industrial peace.

The union said the government’s grandstanding is a mark of not only insensitivity, but also irresponsibility towards the country’s law-abiding labour force, saying if labour unions do not threaten government with ‘no pay, no work,’ there is no reason why government should threaten workers with ‘no work, no pay,’ policy.

It stated that the federal government’s disposition has only vindicated the union’s perception that the current federal government does not care for the less privileged, whose children constitute over 90 per cent of colleges’ students population, wondering the justification for government’s refusal to fully implement CONTISS 15 by denying the lower cadre of COEs, more so when the same government did same for a sister sub-sector, both of who, a presidential approval was given in 2009.

COEASU urged members not to be distracted by the intimidation and threat of ‘no work, no pay,’ as the first phase of the national strike begins, adding that the threat should rather strengthen their resolve that enough is enough of exploitative work.