- ASUP has fixed Wednesday, December 12, for the commencement of its indefinite and nationwide strike
- The president of the union, Usman Dutse, said that the decision was taken after the federal government failed to meet its demand
- Dutse said that among the union's demands is the need for increased funding of polytechnics by the federal government
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has said that it would begin an indefinite, nationwide strike on Wednesday, December 12.
Polytechnic lecturers will join their university colleagues who have been on strike for about a month, Premium Times reports.
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The national president of ASUP, Usman Dutse, on Wednesday, December 5, said the federal government had failed to meet the demands of the union.
Before to this impending strike, the union on Tuesday, October 2, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the federal government before it shifted it to November.
Dutse stressed that the strike will be total. “This further emphasises the resolution of the 93rd National Executive Council meeting reached at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos last week,” he said.
“Government has failed to implement and fulfil agreements it reached with the union as contained in the memorandum of understanding signed,” he said.
ASUP went on strike in November 2017; but when the federal government reached an agreement to implement the recommendations of the 2014 NEEDS assessment, the strike was suspended 15 days after.
The agreement particularly highlighted the need for increased funding of polytechnics. Mr Dutse also said the roles of state government and the National Assembly is not encouraging when it comes to funding the education sector.
“The issue of the funding of the institutions has always been a major concern. After the government conducted the NEEDS assessment in 2014, it promised to implement it. Years after, there is no designed roadmap to implement that,” he said.
He said the bill meant to review the act on the establishment of polytechnics in the country was yet to be passed by the National Assembly. He said the union was hoping that the strike would also help fast-track its passage.
ASUP boss said: “The institutions are not funded. The states are even worse because state governments just establish schools without actually funding those schools. So, no infrastructure is in place.”
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Dutse further claimed that some states were owing salaries for up to 14 months and that institutions victimise union leaders who condemned injustice.
“We have states that are owing about 14 month salaries. Some owe eight months. Benue, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Kogi are owing up to as long as 14 months,” he said.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the meeting between the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ended without any conclusion on Tuesday, December 4.
Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, ASUU's national president, while speaking with newsmen at the end of the closed-door meeting in Abuja noted that negotiations were still ongoing. He said both parties were yet to reach a concrete decision.
“For now, we have started to discuss. We are yet to reach any concrete decision. Once we have more information, we will make ourselves available to the press. The union will reconvene very soon to continue negotiations,” he said.
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