ASUP Announces Date To Embark on Nationwide Strike as FG Fails to meet its demands

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) says it has resolved to defer its planned nationwide strike to Dec. 2, to allow the Federal Government to meet its demands.

Mr Kpanja Shammah, National President of ASUP said this in a statement at the end of the union’s emergency National Executive Council (NEC), on Saturday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the union had on Oct. 7 issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government to meet its demands.

The demands included the alleged interference of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in the statutory duties of Academic Boards regarding the admission of HND students,.

Others were the need for infrastructure revitalisation through the NEEDS ASSESSMENT intervention, implementation of promotions in state institutions, and the payment of all outstanding promotion arrears.

There was also the settlement of pending arrears from  25 per cent and 35 per cent salary review for the period of Jan. 2023 to Dec. 2023 in Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology.

According to Shammah, following the ultimatum, a resolution meeting of all stakeholders in the sector was convened by the Federal Ministry of Education.

He said that the meeting was convened to resolve the contentious issues on Oct 23.

“Resolutions and an action plan were developed during the meeting to resolve the issues.

“The union’s NEC,  therefore, met again on an emergency note on Oct. 24 to review the action plan as proposed in the meeting with the stakeholders.

“After exhaustive deliberations, the union resolved to defer its proposed industrial action to Dec. 2.

“The decision was taken to gauge the government’s commitment to implementing the action plan as agreed at the meeting of Oct. 23,” he said.

He said that ASUP expected that the government would take advantage of the period to show commitment by diligently executing the action plan on each of the eleven items in dispute.