Let Talk the Truth on Mutlti-Trend News: Strike or Seek to downfall of Polytechnic in Nigeria

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ASUP Strike: The 13 reasons Nigerian Polytechnic lecturers vow not to resume work in 2014....10 month old Polytechnic strike while Federal Government claimed not to be awared of the shutdown of 90% polytechnics in Nigeria.

Strick action is coming again in 2017...To being sooner than unexpected......share..spread to Federal Government hearing to stop this strike action before ultimatum lapse ...If you cannot be at the round table to negotiate with Federal Government on Polytechnic Matters..What are you waiting for? Say no to strike action, spread and share for friends of friends

Recently! Ezeibe said after the National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja, the union served the Ministry of Education the strike notice last Thursday and they wrote on Friday inviting the leadership to a meeting today.

ASUP Chairman in Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Mr. Tunji Owoye said his members will comply with the NEC directive and added that the congress of the union is scheduled for today.

He said management of the institution will be informed of the industrial action after the congress.

ASUU: ASUP warns FG of impending strike

The National Executives of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has directed each branch to hold referendum on the type of strike the union should embark on, following the federal government’s alleged refusal to meet the union’s demands.
Addressing journalists yesterday, the ASUP National President, Umaru Dutse, said that “the demands of the union border on non-provision of funds for the Needs Assessment of public polytechnics, persistent shortfall in personnel cost, non-payment of salaries in many state institutions with accrued arrears of between three to nine months, even with the receipt of three tranches of the Paris Club Debt refund and budget support (bailout funds) releases to states and a bill for a review of the Polytechnic Act which has passed Second Reading at the Senate.”
He added that “ASUP’s demands are that CONTISS 15 has been the most malignant among the lingering issues, with arrears put at N20 billion, establishment of a National Polytechnics Commission, removal of dichotomy between Higher National Diploma and degree holders. which has lingered for long, despite approvals for its removal, many state polytechnics do not have governing councils and most of their programmes still run without accreditation, many institutions have now adopted alternatives to practical because of infrastructural decay and poor equipment in their laboratories, studios and workshops and poor funding, with the budgetary allocation to polytechnic grossly inadequate and unable to make any significant impact in the system.”
According to him, ASUP branches were expected to conduct the referendum from Wednesday, September 27 and September 28, 2017, while chairmen are expected to submit the outcome at NEC meeting scheduled for October 2, 2017.
The NEC meeting, which will hold at Abia State Polytechnic, is expected to collate and arrive at a resolution, based on the outcome of the referendum.Nevertheless, Dutse confirmed that the referendum will hold this week while the 89th NEC meeting is “to decide the next line of action.”

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has thrown its weight behind Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
In a statement by ASUP Secretary General, Anderson Ezeibe, the union noted that the strike was aimed at restoring sanity to Nigerian universities.

The union also called on the Federal Government to commence the implementation of agreements entered into with ASUP to forestall an impending crisis in polytechnics.
ASUP added that it was concerned about the consequences of the strike on students, parents and society at large.
It said, “ASUP notes the renewal of hostilities on the country’s university campuses between ASUU and government of Nigeria.
“While we are in unconditional solidarity with ASUU in this struggle to restore sanity to Nigerian universities, we are calling on the government to commence without further delay the implementation of agreements entered into with ASUP to forestall an impending crisis in the polytechnic sub-sector.”

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has asked Nigerian government to implement its outstanding demands.
It also threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from October 28, 2017 if government failed to give a positive response.

Polytechnic lecturers consider strike over N20bn arrears

Issues ASUP want resolved include NEEDS Assessment for federal and state polytechnics at N652, 591, 478, 614 billion, Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Scale (CONTISS 15) N20billion and short fall in salaries as at December 2016 N2, 637, 161,000billion and earned academic allowance N3, 221,487,017billion;
Poor funding of public polytechnics as reflected in the unimplemented capital grants, withdrawals of allowances since 2016, shortfalls in personnel allocations as well as non funding of promotion exercises;
Dichotomy against HND holders, victimization of union officials, non release of check off dues, interference in union activities, non release of CONTISS 15 migration arrears, non release of visitation panel reports, delay in review of the Federal Polytechnics Act, non commencement of renegotiation of ASUP/FG agreement of 2010 and tardiness in appointment of rectors of federal polytechnics.
National President, Usman Dutse,disclosed that about 70 per cent of ASUP chapters voted for indefinite strike at just concluded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Abia State Polytechnic.

He said the 14-day ultimatum issued the government took effect from October 9 to 28 (14 working days), adding that NEC expects the federal government to take action.
“Results of the referendum presented at NEC by the chapter chairmen indicated that majority voted for indefinite strike. We decided to give government another opportunity based on a letter from the ministry intervention committee”, he told Sun.
“For the federal government to allow the internal crisis at Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi and Kaduna Polytechnic to linger on for over three months is an indication of its contempt for polytechnic and technical education.
“NEC is worried about the situation and wants the issues resolved to allow for the reopening of the institutions”.

He explained that NEC also condemned the backlog of salaries owe its members in state polytechnics and asked what the state governors did with the two Paris refund money by the federal government.
“Our members in Oyo, Osun, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Edo and Bayelsa states are owed salaries between four to nine months.
“These state governors collected billions from two Paris Club refund recently, they ought to have used it to settle outstanding salaries of state workers.
“It is a shame that lectures in polytechnics are owed backlog of salaries. It is a reflection our commitment to polytechnic and technical education in the country.”
Dutse further revealed that NEC frowned at Ogun government’s plan to convert Moshood Abiola Polytechic (MAPOLY) to a university.
The ASUP boss said the governor should have established a new university rather than convert an existing polytechnic with over 16,000 students and about 1,500 staff.
“The purported establishment of new polytechnic at Ipokia was politically motivated”, he concluded.

 ASUP begins nationwide strike today

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has insisted members will down tool by 12 noon today, to press home implementation of their demands.

ASUP General Secretary, Mr. Anderson Ezeibe told Daily Sun that lecturers have been mobilised for the one week warning strike and stressed that, “by 12 noon today, we will withdraw our services, both academic and administrative jobs.’’

He said no polytechnic is exempted from the strike but noted that individual institutions should address challenges before joining the industrial action.

Ezeib said the union issued the first ultimatum on July 20, 2016 and another notification on November 14, 2016.

The ASUP scribe confirmed that Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu invited the union leadership to a meeting by 12 noon today but warned that unless the issues in contention are addressed, the one week warning strike will go ahead as scheduled.

Ezeibe said after the National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja, the union served the Ministry of Education the strike notice last Thursday and they wrote on Friday inviting the leadership to a meeting today.

ASUP Chairman in Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Mr. Tunji Owoye said his members will comply with the NEC directive and added that the congress of the union is scheduled for today.

He said management of the institution will be informed of the industrial action after the congress.

National Coordinator of ASUP in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones, Dr. Chika Ogonwa said in Asaba, yesterday, that the union might be forced to shut the polytechnic system if the government remained adamant to their demands.

Part of the demands, according to Ogonwa, was the need to review the Polytechnic Act which at present, prescribes National Diploma (ND) for middle level manpower, and explained that the nation’s economy is comatose because the players are half-baked.

In a flyer which Ogonwa made available to Daily Sun in Asaba, the union during its 86th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in August 2016 shifted the strike to January 2017, to give government sufficient time to resolve the contentious issues.

In a related development, lecturers at the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) branch, Ijagun, Ogun State have embarked on an indefinite strike to protest non-implementation of their demands by the state government. Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), TASUED branch, it was gathered, downed tools after a Congress resolution to embark on strike, in order to force the government to accede to their demands.

To this end, academic, admission and research activities in the state-owned university were grounded, including the on going first semester examination.

Chairman of ASUU in the institution, Dr. Bayo Akinsanya told Daily Sun that the issues in contention are not new demands.

“We have been agitation for these issues for sometime. The university administration is aware of the strike. It is the responsibility of our governing council to talk to the state government on our demands. Our students were writing examinations when we started the strike. The first semester examinations for the 2016/2017 academic session were disrupted.

“In fact, our students were to write a paper on Thursday, so the whole thing was aborted. The strike started on January 26. Since we started the strike, we have not been invited for any discussion. Throughout the duration of the strike, our members will not be involved in any academic activities.’’

The union in the statement disclosed that the issues in contention are non-payment of pension since 2007, withholding of 12 months deduction to staff cooperatives, non-payment of promotion arrears to academic staff, non-payment of earned academic allowance and the government’s insensitivity to funding of the institution.