he Cross River State College of Education was excised from the state University of Technology, CRUTECH in 2008. Since the excision of the institution from the university, the college has not known peace. Academic activities in the college have severally been disrupted due to industrial action by staff of the institution.
The state government had merged the Calabar Polytechnic, the College of Agriculture, Obubra and the College of Education, Akamkpa to form the Cross River University of Technology, CRUTECH. Immediately academic activities commenced in CRUTECH, the university ran into troubled waters. The issue of funding and lack of facilities pitched industrial unions in the university against the state government.
The situation led to incessant strikes by staff of the university, a situation which forced the state government to excise the College of Education from the university. The state government had claimed it excised the college from CRUTECH due to the huge cost of running a multi-campus university.
But the decision is, however, said to have boomeranged as staff of the college have been up in arms against the state government. Their grouse include their non conversion from CRUTECH employees to staff of the College of Education, as well as the non implementation of the College of Education Salary Structure in the institution.
Others include the non promotion of staff of the institution especially those who have acquired additional educational qualifications, resulting in stagnation of workers.
The chairman of the college’s branch of the College of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU, Dr. Linus Agba accused the state government of taking staff of the institution for granted, despite efforts by unions in the college to resolve the issues in dispute amicably.
Dr. Agba told this magazine that the state government had reneged in all its agreements with industrial unions in the college, noting we have tried unsuccessfully through several government committees to resolve the issues in dispute.
He further told Newsworld that the non constitution of a governing council for the college had further worsened situations, as there was no constituted body to deliberate on issues affecting the state.
The COEASU chairman disclosed that efforts to persuade the state government to constitute a governing council for the college as well as address other issues in dispute failed due to the lackadaisical attitude of government.
Dr. Agba listed some of the issues in dispute to include deplorable working condition in the college, nonpayment of approved salary structure as well as stagnation of workers many of whom were long due for promotion.
The chairman of the college branch of the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education, Comrade Gabriel Ajaba told this magazine that the state government should be held responsible for the protracted crisis in the institution.
 
He told this magazine that the strike by staff of the college was inevitable as the action was to compel the state government to meet its obligations to the workers.
According to him, "the strike is the last resort for the workers to establish the legitimacy of their employment in the college and press for the payment of the approved salaries, while we await the constitution of a governing council to ratify the re-designation and promotion exercise already concluded
."

But the state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Offiong E. Offiong, described the action of the college workers as unnecessary, as the state government was taking necessary steps to meet their demands.
He disclosed that a governing council had been constituted to handle issues affecting workers in the college, and condemned in very strong terms the defiant attitude of the workers despite passionate appeal by the state government for them to suspend the strike.

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