The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to begin an indefinite strike if the Nigerian Government fails to meet its demands after a 21-day ultimatum.
ASUP Zone B Coordinator, Innocent Simji, disclosed this during a press briefing in Bauchi on Friday, noting that the decision followed resolutions reached at the union’s emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on August 14.
Simji said the ultimatum stemmed from government’s failure to address urgent issues that threaten the survival of the polytechnic sector.
He listed the grievances to include the non-release of circulars by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission for peculiar academic allowances, non-payment of arrears from the 25/35 per cent salary review, and the refusal to implement the review in state-owned polytechnics.
Other demands are the speedy implementation of a dual mandate structure to remove the dichotomy between polytechnic and university graduates, release of approved needs assessment funds for infrastructure, and halting the outsourcing of the National Board for Technical Education’s quality assurance role to unqualified vendors.
ASUP also faulted government for failing to establish a dedicated commission for polytechnics, delaying promotion arrears, stalling the renegotiation of the 2010 ASUP/FGN agreement, and failing to compel states to domesticate the Federal Polytechnics Act.
Simji further decried the continued discrimination against HND holders in public service, non-release of CONTISS 15 arrears, militarisation of campuses, and interference in union affairs, particularly at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede.
He warned, “If government fails to act within the ultimatum period, we will declare a trade dispute and withdraw the services of our members across all public polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide.”