Akwa-Ibom: Staff at Federal Polytechnic Begins Warning Strike, Demands Salary Settlement
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) at the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, initiated a seven-day warning strike on Friday, June 7. The protesters proceeded to the Rector’s Office, carrying placards and singing songs of solidarity, demanding the full implementation of their demands.
c.Blessing 
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) at the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, initiated a seven-day warning strike on Friday, June 7. The staff members staged a protest march around the campus to voice their demands.
During a brief congress held at the institution’s TETFund auditorium, the workers expressed disappointment with the management's handling of their demands. These demands include non-payment of the 38% balance of salary shortfall, delay in payment of promotion arrears, and forceful conversion of staff, among others.
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After the congress, the protesters proceeded to the Rector’s Office, carrying placards and singing songs of solidarity, demanding the full implementation of their demands. The placards bore messages such as ‘SSANIP opposes unnecessary member transfers’, ‘No to forced staff conversion’, ‘Pay us our 38% balance salary shortfall (2016–2018)’, ‘Pay us our correct salary placement arrears (2015-2018)’, and other demands.
Mr Tamunosiki Daka, the Chairman of SSANIP, Federal Polytechnic, Ukana chapter, addressed the protesters, stating, “Please let it be on record that, I, the chairman of the SSANIP Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, am not here to fight anyone. I was not elected to fight anyone or to deal with anyone’s affairs outside of SSANIP. SSANIP’s welfare is my top priority, and how can we discuss welfare without them paying us the arrears they owe us?”
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He expressed his disappointment that the management has been ignoring all of the association’s issues, including the personnel salary shortfalls since 2015, despite frequent reminders. He added, “We have been pleading for the past six months. How can they justify appointing a teaching staff to the ICT position? By Monday, every office here, including the Rector’s, will be closed,” Daka warned.
He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to use his office to investigate the institution’s personnel salaries from 2015.
He stated, “We urge the President to investigate all personnel salaries from 2015 to date when we switched to the IPPIS platform. They claim to have paid us all the shortfalls to 100%, but so far, no one has seen anything.”
