The provost of the College of Education (COE), Afaha Nsit, in Nsit Ibom local government area of Akwa Ibom state, Prof. Daniel Udo, has sued for industrial harmony amongst labour unions, especially the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
This is coming on the heels of the lingering crises in the institution which have been brought to an end eventually by the intervention of the visitor, Governor Udom Emmanuel, and other officials of the state government.
In an interview with journalists in his office, Monday, Udo recalled the crises that rocked the college a few years ago which led to the suspension and withholding of salaries of four lecturers.
He urged aggrieved union leaders to sustain the prevailing peace after the resolution of the issues in dispute.
Blaming the four COEASU members for embarking on strike, and trying to lock the main gate to the campus without following the due process, Udo commended the governor, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Idongesit Etiebet, and the Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Effiong Essien, for their roles.
He appealed to the reinstated officers whose suspended two months’ salaries have been cleared “not to always see a strike as the first option in venting their grievances in workplace situations using the NLC.”
Prof Udo, named as provost of the college in 2020, after acting for about one year, said his regime had since its inception, drawn the line from the business-as-usual attitude of the previous administrations to set a standard administrative operations that saw the school attaining new heights in terms of global best practices in academics including prioritizing staff welfare.
“I take the issue of staff welfare as first line charge. We have settled salaries, promotion arrears, travel expenses, and other entitlements up-to-date, except for the four union members which we had since settled following the directive of the governor,” he stated.