They also appealed to the Cross River State Government to save the life of Cross River State College of Health Technology because it is the only health institution in the state that feeds all the health facilities across the18 LGAs in the state.
Members, Unions and staff of the Cross River State School of Health Technology has appealed to the state government to save their school from avoidable collapse.
They also pleaded with the government to show courage by working out mutually-benefiting compromises in the overall interest of the students, the education sector and the nation.
Workers of the Cross River State Health Technology has been calling on the state government to review their salary structure that was withheld back in 2019 so as to allow workers meet up their family responsibilities and pay their bills.
The Chairman Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Polytechnics (ASUP), College of Health Technology Calabar Chapter, Comrade Bright Ewona spoke exclusively on FAD93.1FM on their regular radion program ‘People’s Opinion’ on Tuesday, highliting the challenges of the institution and called on the government to call members and staff of the institution for negotiations and agreement so as to enable students return to school.
Comrade Bright also added that the congress has taken a stand that until the salary structure is being restored, they would stay at home, they would not come back.
In his words: “The issue at hand now is that Cross River State College of Health Technology Salary have been suspended and the staff of the college are saying that it is not fair and they wouldn’t come back to work until the government return or restore back the salary structure”.
“This salary structure was implemented in 2011 for polytechnics and college of educations across the country and domesticated in the state in 2013”.
“College of educations and ITM Ugep was captured but College of Health Technology was not captured. But thank God for the present administration that implemented the structure in September 2018 for college of health technology”.
“Sadly enough in November 2019, the salary structure was withheld back which was not too good enough. When the institution went on warning strike, they were invited by his excellency, the deputy governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ivara Ejemot Esu on 30th November 2019, thinking it was a dialogue where things would be resolved but regrettably it was an intimidation on the part of the workers”.
“Prof Ivara Esu said if they embark on indefinite strike, the government was going to close down the institution and also sack the workers of the institution including the governing and the management of the institution”.
“It is so sad, but after then the National of the two unions came on board, they did a protest, they also did a press brief at Abuja notifying his Excellency. All the national news stations, national news papers got it and made a correspondence to his Excellency”.
“Recently we got a copy from the Student Union Government (SUG) of the school meeting up the government that they are going to embark on a solidarity protest should the government continue to allow this issue to go the way it is”.
“They have appeal to his Excellency to see how the government would call the workers and see how they can meet up with the workers demands so that they would come back to school”.
“For the workers, the congress has taken a stand that until the salary structure is being restored, they would stay at home, they would not come back”.
“Funny enough, November and December salary has been withheld also. I know those are intimidations from the part of the government, I feel at this point, those intimidations are unnecessary”.
He ended by saying what the government need to do is to call for negotiations, that they are open for negotiations and not intimidations.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Senior Staff Association Of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), College of Health Technology Calabar Chapter, Comrade Effanga Effiong stressed the need for the government to do the needful so as to save the life of Cross River State College of Health Technology because it is the only health institution in the state that feeds all the health facilities across the18 LGAs in the state.
Comrade Effanga also mentioned that the College of Education Akamkpa is enjoying good salary structure, ITM Ugep is enjoying it, what is happening with Cross River State Health Technology? He pleaded that the government should come to their aid so as to allow the school produce more graduates that would be beneficial to the society.
“The issue on ground is not a new one, this struggle started years back until 2018 when the salary was actually implemented for the college”.
“It is so sad that after a year, the same structure were dropped and a strange structure was employed and with this strange structure so many things has happened”.
“The staff there are in trouble because most of them were on facilities and now the banks are on them. Even when the salaries are paid, most of them go home with nothing. We started agitating again to let the government know that it is wrong for them to drop this structure”.
“This structure is domesticated here in the state, college of education Akamkpa is enjoying it, ITM Ugep is enjoying it, what is happening with Cross River State health technology?”.
“We are of the opinion that let the government do the needful by restoring that salary structure on school of health technology, that is our position. We are appealing to the government to please do the needful, save the life of Cross River State College of Health Technology because it is the only health institution in the state that feeds all the 18 LGAs across the state. If we don’t produce this graduate, then the health facilities in the state will suffer, so we are appealing to the government to do the needful”. He said.
Source: fadfm.com
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