by Iyobosa Omoregie

In a bid to fight for the non-payment of five months in outstanding salaries and poor conditions of service, about 100 Edo state workers calling themselves the Coalition of Unions of the State-Owned Tertiary Institutions staged a protest against the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday.

The  protesters who were mainly  from the College of Education, Ekiadolor, College of Education, Igueben, the Institute of Science and Technology, Usen, and College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi, resorted to black attires as they  matched through major streets in Benin and ending up at the Government House.

They were not only protesting for their outstanding salaries, they were also demanding for the immediate payment of sixteen months salary arrears, said to have been approved between July 2009 and October 2010.

“We have met with the government through the Commissioner for Education over the issues raised but it attracted no positive response. We can no longer continue to bear the pain. We are frowning at the decision of the government to resort to selective treatment of workers…it is more frustrating that the government has chosen to pay our counterparts in sister institution, the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, regular monthly pension and gratuities and increased their subvention, while we are ignored.” The President of the coalition, Mr Fred Omonuwa, told pressmen.

The protesters further condemned the non-payment of promotion arrears, stoppage of the use of trust fund/cooperative funds for the running of the institutions,
dilapidated infrastructure and non-provision of funds for accreditation of courses.

The state government is yet to say a word.