BY GBENBA ARIYIBI
Workers of the 32 years old College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Wednesday, staged a peaceful protest over what they described as refusal of the state government to pay them the new salary scale.

The workers made of three industrial unions in the institution, barricaded all the entrance to the college  with wooden and iron objects as early as 8a.m , and vowed not to return to their duty posts until the state government  acceded to their request

The striking workers who  displayed placards with inscriptions such as ‘Fayemi, we supported you  during your struggle “Fayemi, fulfill your promise”etc, and  declared that they would not rescind their decision  until  the state government correct the seeming marginalisation  being meted to them by the state government.

Addressing the aggrieved workers in turns, the Chairman of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, Mr. Tope Egunjobi; Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education, SSUCOED, Mr. Charles Egunjobi and the Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, Mr. Femi Ajayi,  who spoke one after the other, noted that the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi had agreed that they would be paid with the new salary scale beginning from January 2011.

“All the  higher institutions in the state are being paid with the new salary scale. We don’t know why the state government has been partial to the workers of College of Education, Ikere Ekiti. Even the workers of the University of Education (TUNEDIK), which license was revoked by the National Universities Commission (NUC) are being paid the new salary scale,” the unions alleged.

However, the acting Provost of the college, Dr. (Mrs.) Titilayo Ogunmola could not be reached for her reaction as she was said to be in a meeting with officials of the state government in Ado Ekiti over the issue.

But a  top government official who spoke on condition of anonymity,  told Vanguard  that the case of the workers in the college   was before the state chief executive , assuring that the matter would soon be resolved