Strike Paralyses Lagos School

Academic activities at the
Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCOPED), Noforija, Epe, remained paralysed as the lecturers continued their indefinite strike on Wednesday.
Mr Michael Adefuye, Chairman of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), MOCOPED Chapter, told our correspondent in Lagos that the lecturers were fully complying with the directive.
Adefuye said the union’s monitoring teams were on ground to ensure full compliance with the strike and that members were responding as directed.
“The lecturers are fully observing the strike because they are fighting for their right and want their pension paid.
“Since strike is the only language the college authority understands, the lecturers are dedicated to it so that their demands can be met’’, he saidý.
Adefuye said the union had met the college authorities and the Governing Council on May 6ý to end the strike but that union members were not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.
The chairman said the authorities spoke positively but was not ready for ýan immediate financial commitment of paying 75 per cent of the debts owed as demanded by the union.
“The governing council pleaded with us to trust them and suspend the strike.
“The council assured that the commitment will be met at the end of the month when the college receives new subvention’’, he said.
According to Adefuye, the union congress met on May 9 and deliberated on the position of the college authorities towards ending the strike.
He said the congress concluded that the strike should continue until the financial commitment was made because the authorities could not be trusted.
“The authorities had claimed that they were already borrowing money to pay our salary because the present subvention was not enough, claiming to be in debt.
“So, thereý is no assurance that we will be paid if we agree till end of the month’’, he said.