AS part of the deliberate effort of the Federal Government to ensure industrial harmony and create conducive environment for the growth of education in the country, it has endorsed the protracted 2001 Renegotiated Agreement with the workers of both the federal polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Agreement, signed between the Federal Government and the leaders of the various staff unions, saw the approval, by the government, of 53.37 per cent salary increase for lecturers and other staff of both the federal polytechnics and colleges of education in the country.

Also approved is the 56 per cent salary hike for the chief lecturers of the two institutions, as well as a 65-year retirement age, in acceding to some of the demands by the various staff unions of the institutions.

Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, who was  represented  at the signing of the agreement by the Permanent Secretary, Professor Oladipo Afolabi, said the core demands of the staff unions were met after rigorous bargaining and concessions made by the parties involved, arising from the renegotiated 2001 agreements, which was commenced on 27th February, 2007.

Other areas agreed on, as reflected in the signed agreement, were the approval of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions’ Salary Structure-15 (CONTISS 15) for the senior lecturers of both the polytechnics and colleges of education; upgrading of some of the Polytechnics and Colleges of education to degree awarding status; improved funding of the institutions and establishment of a National Commission for Polytechnics, among others.

Egwu had, while commending the various staff unions of the institutions for not embarking on a strike for one day before the agreements were reached, unlike their university counterparts, expressed hope that the agreement would be strictly adhered to in order to bring about the repositioning of the institutions to achieve the kind of quality education the nation is yearning for.

University workers, especially the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had to embark on an indefinite strike that lasted about three months before the agreement was signed. This has now caused disruption in the school calendar year, which the universities are grappling to reconcile.

Egwu, however, said the remuneration packages provided by the government would be minimum benchmark payable by individual institutions.

The minister, therefore, warned that the implementation of the “recommended pay increases will be subject to the unqualified commitment on the part of the principals that, in the pursuit of their avowed goals, they would respect the sanctity of the regular academic calendar and commit themselves to strict adherence to the provisions of prescribed minimum standards and to the primacy of dialogue and due process over and above those tactics that undermine and disrupt good order in the conduct of polytechnics and colleges’ business”.

The Chairmen of the FGN Renegotiation Team for Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, Mr. Babatunde Olowu and Alhaji Sufyan Allah-kayi, said they were impressed by  the maturity and cooperation exhibited by the various staff unions that culminated into the concrete agreement and urged all parties to respect the various provisions and letters of the agreement.

They also conveyed their appreciation to the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, for the swift approval of the adjusted salary scale and other conditions of service for the workers of the institutions.