ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES CONTINUE TO COLLAPSE IN NIGERIA AS ASUP BEGINS WARNING STRIKE ON MONDAY
REPORTER: UGONNA AGU
The Academic Staff Union of Polytecnics (ASUP) says there is no going back on its two weeks warning strike with effect from Monday May 16, 2022.
This is in line with a statement signed by the Union’s president Comrade Anderson Ezeibe at the union’s one hundred and second emergency national executive council meeting in Abuja.
Comrade Ezeibe, who confirmed the decision in a telephone conversation with Radio Nigeria in Owerri, noted that the decision became imperative following the failure of the government to implement the memorandum of action signed in June 2021.
“There are aspects of the agreement that we entered into with the government in June last year that led to the 3 months suspension of the strike.
“This includes that the government was suppose to fulfill all of those items within that three months suspension period, but unfortunately, there are a whole lot of times there that has not been addressed.
“Three months as at then, ended September 2021,” the ASUP President said.
Comrade Ezeibe said the union had in April this year given the Federal Government ultimatum to address its needs but did not get any feedback.
The ASUP President, who decried the condition of service of the staff of the union, insisted that conditions of service of civil servants should be re-negotiated every five years according to the International Labour Law.
“The arrears of minimum wage owed staff of federal Polytecnics in Nigeria has notbeen paid.
“The second one, is the revitalisation find for public Polytecnics and colleges of thechnology* in Nigeria. That approval was received in June 2021, but the funds have not been released.
“The re-negotiations of our conditions of service. In the past twelve years, we have been on the same salary scale.
“The issue of our victimized colleagues who have not yet been called back to their duty posts,” he enumarated
Comrade Ezeibe, who noted it was a coincidence that ASUU and ASUP were on strike at the same time, said the outcome of the strike would not benefit only the lectures, but also the learning condition of the students.
He therefore called on the students to use every medium within their reach cry out to the government to fulfill the obligations entered into with their lecturers.
