Labour unions in tertiary institutions in Ekiti State have accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of compounding their problems by imposing “satanic and oppressive” taxes on them without paying their salary arrears.
The workers accused the governor of subjecting them to dehumanisation, abject poverty and immeasurable hardship by refusing to pay subventions to the institution.
They stated this in a communique issued after their meeting held under the Joint Association of Staff Unions in the Tertiary Institutions in Ekiti State.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of labour unions from the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti; Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; College of Education, Ikere Ekiti; Federal University, Oye Ekiti, and College of Health Technology, Ijero.
The gathering included the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, the Non-Academic Staff Union, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union and National Association of Academic Technologists.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the chairman of EKSU branch of ASUU, Prof. Olu-Olu Olufayo, said the institution last received subvention in January.
He criticised the state government of withholding subventions due to state-owned institutions while at the same time sending list of those to employ to them.
The unions also accused the governor of imposing high taxes on federal institutions in the state without giving them anything in return.
Olufayo said, “In EKSU, we are spending N450m monthly on salary. Initially, government was giving us N260m which it has reduced to N230m for no reason.
“Government was giving us N260m when we were paying N380m monthly as salary. Now that the salary has increased to N450m, instead of increasing the subvention, it reduced it to N230m. This is the seventh month and there is no subvention. How do we deal with that? And government keeps sending the list of those to employ to us.
“The College of Education, Ikere Ekiti’s workers are being owed seven months salary arrears due to the same problem of subvention reduction and withdrawal.”
Olufayo lamented that despite the harsh conditions the workers were facing due to the deliberate withdrawal of the subventions, the state government came up with an obnoxious tax policy.
“The state government that claims to be friend of the masses should not come through the back door via the obnoxious tax regime to compound the already unbearable economic conditions of the same people.
“The obnoxious tax policy is satanic, oppressive, punitive, draconian, unacceptable, condemnable and rejected in its entirety,” he added.
Expressing their readiness to negotiate with the government, the unions urged the state government to review the taxes downwards.
They also called on monarchs and other well-meaning Nigerians “to intervene in the dispute before the situation deteriorates.”
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