ASUP STRIKE UPDATE AS AT 4TH MARCH 2014 Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has warned that the nation’s public polytechnics may lose a full academic session due to the ongoing strike by its members. The warning is coming as the Chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics and the leadership of the union plan to meet this Friday with a view to seeking an end to the strike. The meeting, which holds in Abuja, we gathered, comes on the heels of an earlier one the chairmen held with the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over the impasse. They met in Abuja on Friday, February 28 where, it was gathered, the minister asked them to prevail on the striking lecturers to accept the government’s proposal to fund the arrears of the Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure 15 Migration in two instalments and suspend the strike. Teachers in the nation’s public polytechnics have been on strike for over 150 days. The strike started on October 4, 2013. They are seeking, among others, the removal of what they regard as discrimination against polytechnic graduates, review of the Polytechnics Act, establishment of a National Polytechnics Commission and the release of the White Paper of the visitation to federal polytechnics. They are also kicking against the poor funding of polytechnics, deplorable condition of state polytechnics, appointment of unqualified persons as rectors of polytechnics as well as the review of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System and the funding of the CONTISS 15 Migration. But the ASUP National President, Mr. Chibuzo Asomugha, who spoke with our correspondent on Monday, warned that if the industrial crisis lingered a little more, it might result in the students losing a full academic session. He said, “Polytechnics in Nigeria have yet to complete the 2012/2013 session. The 2013/2014 session has yet to commence four months into the schedule. “There is the clear threat that a full academic session is on the verge of being lost. Factor in also the immediate repercussions of social vices and sundry frustration. It is a thoroughly frightening spectre.” He therefore urged stakeholders to intervene further in resolving the crisis. Promising that the union would attend the Friday meeting, the ASUP leader, however, doubted the commitment of the Federal Government to resolving the crisis.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:46:08 +0000
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