Academic Staff Of Polytechnics (ASUP) has extended its strike notice to December 2, 2024 following an intervention by the Federal Ministry of Education.
In a statement by its national president, Comrade Kpanja Shammah, the union urged the government will take advantage of the window period to diligently executing the action plans agreed upon during their meeting.
ASUP had on the 7th of October, 2024 issued a 15 days strike ultimatum to the Federal Government with 11 demands.
However, at the expiration of the ultimatum on 23rd of October, 2024, a resolution meeting of all stakeholders in the sector was convened by the Federal Ministry of Education with a view to resolving the contentious issues.
According to comrade Shammah, resolutions and an action plan was developed during the meeting to resolve the issues which cover instances of abuse of extant laws, regulations and statutes by some Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics.
Other issues agreed for resolution include i welfare of academic staff in the sector, intrusion of the NBTE into the statutory responsibilities of Academic Boards of Polytechnics on matters of HND students’ admission, revitalization of infrastructure in the sector through the NEEDS ASSESSMENT intervention, non implementation of promotion in state institutions, payment of all outstanding promotion arrears.
It also include payment of outstanding arrears of 25%/35% salary review from January 2023 to December 2023 in Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology and the implementation of the salary review in state institutions, payment of outstanding arrears of CONTISS 15 migration for lower cadres, sustenance of the payment of 7% Peculiar Academic Allowance post IPPIS exit, renegotiation of the FGN/ASUP agreement of 2010 and the payment of all outstanding third party deductions.
“The Union’s NEC therefore met again on an emergency note on the 24th of October 2024 to review the action plan as proposed in the meeting with the stakeholders and determine the next steps in its struggle for the survival of Polytechnic Education in the country.
“After exhaustive deliberations, the Union resolved to defer its proposed industrial action to the 2nd of December, 2024. The decision was taken to gauge the government’s commitment to implementing the action plan as agreed at the meeting of 23rd October, 2024,” the ASUP national president said in his statement.
He therefore said should the government fail to take action on each of the eleven items of dispute, it risk a comprehensive withdrawal of service by academic staff in the Nigeria Polytechnic System. (Nigerian Pilot)
