Polytechnic Lecturers Suspend Plan Strike
Polytechnic lecturers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, Sunday, announced suspension of the planned strike over pending industrial matters with the Government.
President of ASUP, Comrade Usman Dutse who made this know in a statement in Abuja, said the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the union would hold at the end of November, 2018 to appraise progress by government on their pledge.
Recall that ASUP had on October 2, 2018 issued a 21-day ultimatum to draw government attention to urgent need to attend to the sector that it said has suffered under funding leading to under growth in all aspects of the system.
Comrade Dutse lamented that states as Abia, Adamawa , Benue, Edo, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, Ogun Osun, and Oyo are owing its members salaries running up to ten months, while the regulatory body and the respective governing councils have been recalcitrant, as well trampling on the members.
The statement read, “Our union had brought to the notice of government the urgent need to attend to the sector that has suffered under the throes of gross under-funding which has engendered under-growth in all aspects of the polytechnic system.
“Our union is particularly worried that state institutions are the worse off. Salaries are still owed in many state owned institutions with some owed up to ten months arrears, especially in Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Edo, |mo, Kogi, Ondo, Ogun, Oshun, and Oyo.
“Managements and Governing Councils have been recalcitrant and persistently trample on union officials in our various chapters by arbitrary suspension and sacking of officials and outright mis-representation in administration of the institutions, non implementation of the Needs assessment; delay in accenting to the Amendment of the Polytechnic Act, victimisation of union officials, withdrawal of allowances and persistent shortfalls in personnel releases to Polytechnics as well as the lethargy shown by government in the renegotiation of the union’s 2010 agreement.
“These were compounded by the deployment of arm twisting measures in forcing our members into the IPPIS module without addressing the union’s concerns.
“This continued neglect and seeming government’s indifference on issues concerning the polytechnic sector led to our union’s twenty-one day ultimatum which expired on the 23rd October, 2018.
“Following this ultimatum, our union has had engagements with government and its agencies. Particularly worth mentioning was the meeting of 18th October, 2018 between our union and the government represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Education with representatives from the NBTE and Budget and Planning.
“At this meeting government exhibited considerable concerns to prioritise the challenges of the polytechnic sector towards ameliorating them.
“Rising from the emergency meeting of NEC therefore, the Union in consideration of the appeals by the government and commitments to resolving the issues in dispute, resolved to put Its planned industrial action on hold to allow government more time to concretise its promises on our demands.
“The union also resolved to reconvene its NEC meeting by the end of November, 2013 to assess the progress made and take appropriate actions.”
