Academic Staff Union Of Polytechnics Proposes December 2 For 7 Nationwide Strike

ABUJA – The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has deferred its nation­wide industrial action till December 2, 2024 to allow the Federal Government meet its ex­isting demands.

Recall that ASUP had on Octo­ber 7, 2024 issued a two-week ulti­matum to government asking it to meet the existing demands some of which bothered on alleged intrusion of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) into the statutory responsibilities of Academic Boards of Polytech­nics on matters of HND students’ admission and revitalisation of infrastructure in the sector through the NEEDS Assessment intervention.

Others are non-implemen­tation of promotion in state institutions, payment of all out­standing promotion arrears and payment of outstanding arrears of 25%/35% salary review from January 2023 to December 2023 in Federal Polytechnics and Col­leges of Technology.

In a statement confirming the new date for the proposed strike issued on Saturday, ASUP noted that it had issued the mandatory 15-day ultimatum to the propri­etors of public polytechnics and colleges of technology arising from a review of the state of af­fairs in the sector during the 111th meeting of the National Execu­tive Council (NEC) of the union.

It explained that the ultima­tum issued on October 7, 2024, contained 11 demands from the union.

“Following the ultimatum, 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 on Oc­tober 23, 2024 in Abuja.

“Resolutions and an action plan were 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, items of welfare of academic staff in the sector.

“Others are intrusion of the NBTE into the statutory respon­sibilities of Academic Boards of Polytechnics on matters of HND students’ admission, revit­alisation of infrastructure in the sector through the NEEDS As­sessment intervention, non-im­plementation of promotion in state institutions, payment of all outstanding promotion arrears, payment of outstanding arrears of 25%/35% salary review from January 2023 to December 2023 in Federal Polytechnics and Col­leges of Technology.

“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 October 24, 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 December 2, 2024. The decision was taken to gauge the government’s commitment to implementing the action plan as agreed at the meeting of October 23, 2024.

“It is therefore the expectation of our union that government will take advantage of the peri­od to show commitment by dili­gently executing the action plan on each of the eleven items of dispute or risk a comprehensive withdrawal of service by academ­ic staff in the Nigeria Polytechnic System,” ASUP noted.