They was a protest yesterday by Lecturers at the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti in Ekiti State over direct deduction of taxes from the subvention released to the institution.
They demanded the payment of seven-month arrears owed them.
The lecturers said non-payment of the backlog of salaries was inflicting hardship on their families.
Under the aegis of College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), the lecturers marched from the Science Complex, where they held an emergency congress, to the Provost’s Office.
COEASU Chairman at the college Comrade Adedayo Olokesusi led the protest and addressed principal officers at the Administrative Building.
In their seven-point communique signed by Olokesusi and Secretary Dare Owolabi, the lecturers noted that “it was highly barbaric for the state government to deduct tax directly from the monthly subvention without the knowledge of tax payers”.
The communique reads: “The union hereby demands the release of the amount deducted from May 2017 subvention by the state government with immediate effect.
“The union also frowns at the policy of divide-and-rule employed by the state government on the payment of salaries to workers in the state where some categories of workers have been paid two-month salaries ahead of the sub-vented institutions.
“The union considers it a wicked act for a government that is owing workers seven-month salaries to be making obnoxious deductions from the subvention of the college.
“The tax being paid by college workers was duly negotiated during the previous administration and all parties agreed to the payment, based on the economic situation in the country.
“The previous administration had agreed with the union on the current tax being paid by members because we made it known that payments, such as project supervision allowance, hazard allowance, excess work load allowance, leave bonus, among others, cannot be taxed. All these have been consolidated in the current salary structure.
“The union hereby urges the state government to increase the college’s subvention without any delay.”
