MAPOLY lecturers suspend work-to-rule
Academic Staff members of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, has suspended its work-to-rule action embarked on over four weeks ago with the resolve to begin academic activities on Monday.
The decision to suspend the industrial action was taken at union congress held last Friday, at the secretariat of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics of the institution, in Abeokuta.
The ASUP chairman, Comrade Kola Abiola, while addressing members of the press said the Union took the decision as a mark of honour to the newly appointed acting rector, Mr Ayodeji Tella, who met with them and made several promises to resolve some of the issues that made them embark on the industrial action.
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The union leader said the state government had failed to attend to all letters and correspondences on the fate of its members in relation to the transformation of the institution to Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology (MASUTECH).
He vowed that the union would not hesitate to resume the suspended industrial action if the state government failed to meet up with some of the issues that made them shift ground.
Abiola said, “We have seen the need to shift ground to enable them to agree to some of the things. When it is two weeks and these things are not met, Congress will decide the next line of action.
“Our decisions were not borne out of intimidation. At the end of the two weeks, if these conditions are not met, then the union would have no choice but to declare an industrial dispute with the management of MAPOLY.”
By
Tosin Ogunyemi -
October 21, 2017
File Photo
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Governor Yahaya Bello proscribes JAC, trade union activities in state-owned institutions
Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Wednesday announced the ban on the activities of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of trade unions and all forms of trade unionism in state-owned tertiary institutions.
Bello, who made the announcement in a broadcast in Lokoja on Wednesday accused trade unionism in tertiary institutions of impeding government holistic reforms.
He said he had respect for the rights of all citizens to responsibly associate and pursue their welfare within the ambits of the law and norms of a democratic society.
The governor said his administration had made tremendous progress in resolving all issues relating to adequacy and frequency of remuneration for all categories of Civil Servants in the State.
He reiterated his respect for the rights of labour unions in relations to the responsibilities of the owners and proprietors of tertiary academic institutions.
Bello, however, regretted that the state-owned tertiary institutions’ trade unionism had let itself to impeding government’s efforts to carry out “holistic reforms in the civil service through its unjustified industrial actions.
“The branch of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) in Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, has proceeded on yet another strike for alleged non-payment of salaries and emoluments irrespective of clear evidence of government’s good faith and efforts contradicting JAC’s position,” he said.
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The governor said there was evidence of massive embezzlement at Kogi State Polytechnic’s earnings in excess of N157m committed under JAC’s nose.
Bello assured that his government remained committed to meeting its obligations to all genuine employees of the state as promptly as available resources would permit.
“Government will work to ensure uninterrupted academic calendar, henceforth, in all basic education, secondary and tertiary academic institutions in Kogi State.
“For the avoidance of doubt, and except where specified otherwise, references herein to the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Trade Unions of Tertiary Institutions owned by Kogi State are referred to:
“The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU). The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP). The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU). The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) and The Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN).
“Others are the National Associations of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and any other Union operating in any tertiary Institutions owned by the Kogi State Government,” he said.
By
Yemisi Adeolu -
October 26, 2017
ASUP issues 14-day ultimatum to fed govt over N658bn NEEDS, CONTISS 15, other demands
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has handed out a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government urging it to implement outstanding demands from the union with effect Monday, October 9, 2017 or it will embark on a strike.
The major demands 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, 161,000 billion and earned academic allowance N3, 221,487,017billion.
The union also frowned at the federal government continued silence over the closure of Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi and Kaduna Polytechnic for about four months without any move to resolve the issues in contention.
ASUP National President, Mr. Usman Dutse, said that the decisions were taken at the just concluded National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Abia State Polytechnic, to discuss the outcome of referendum conduct by the chapters. He said government has not release funds to any polytechnic on NEEDS and payment arrears of CONTISS 15.
He disclosed that about 70 per cent of ASUP chapters during the referendum voted for indefinite strike but that NEC decided on the 14-day ultimatum because of a letter from the government stating efforts being made to address some of the demands.
According to him, the 14-day ultimatum issued the government took effect from October 9 to 28, adding that NEC expect the federal government to take advantage of the opportunity to do the needful.
Said he: ‘’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’’.
The demands of ASUP include sustained 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.
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Other demands are non removal of 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.
The ASUP president explained that NEC condemned the failure of the federal government to address the issues that lead to the continuous closure of Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi and Kaduna Polytechnic and demanded for immediate action to reopen the two institutions.
‘’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’’, Dutse noted.
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.
His words: ‘’Our members in Oyo, Osun, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Edo and Bayelsa states are owed salaries between four to nine months. These state governors have collected billions from two Parish 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 the manner in which the state government is handling the situation at Moshood Abiola Polytechic (MAPOLY), Ogun State and vowed that ASUP would resist the conversion of the institution 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 noting ‘’the purported establishment of new polytechnic at Ipokia was politically motivate.
ASUP General Secretary, Mr. Anderson Ezeibe, CONTISS 15 migration for lower staff was approved in 2009 but government refused to release fund for the payment while the NEEDS Assessment was completed in 2014.
Ogun Poly: ASUP wants approved courses published by NBTE
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has been asked to make clarification on the status of newly-established Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia.
The Board was further urged to publish various courses accredited by it for the institution, which the state government said might take-off in December.
The national vice president of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Timothy Ogunseye, stated this, on Tuesday, while briefing journalists at the ASUP secretariat at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta.
According to Ogunseye, it had become imperative for the NBTE to publish the accredited courses to be offered by the new polytechnic before his members can move to the school as directed by the state government.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State at the ground breaking ceremony of Ogun State Polytechnic, Ipokia, had assured that the state would meet the deadline given to it by the NBTE on the provision of basic infrastructure at the new school.
The governor also disclosed that 42 courses had been accredited by the NBTE for the institution and expressed optimism it would take off by December.
But Ogunseye, speaking on Tuesday, faulted the governor’s claim on the NBTE’s accreditation and noted that nothing was on ground at the new school to warrant any accreditation.
He said the national leadership of the union was in Abeokuta to support its members in MAPOLY in their struggle not to be schemed out in any arrangement and urged NBTE not to sanction “illegality”.
“Our position in this regard is that there must be a gestation period during which people can move people from Abeokuta to Ipokia. And we are of the opinion that there is nothing wrong if the polytechnic as well as the university can co-exist for the next three years. From there our members, can now move to Ipokia, by which time we expect the level of infrastructure in Ipokia to have been upgraded.
“As we speak, we have nothing on ground in Ipokia. And please we need to correct this impression, ASUP in MAPOLY or any staff is not against the establishment of polytechnic in Ipokia. All we are saying is that where you even do that, issues surrounding staff career development, students’ comfort, all this issues have to be looked into.
“Honestly, if that programme is to work, we expect the government to spearhead a mass house revolution in Ipokia where accommodation would be made available for staff and students and where classroom blocks, laboratories, workshops, all those things would have been built before we consider the movement at all.
“Otherwise, all they are just trying to do now is to going around it and asking our colleague to be facing all this hardship and sufferings, and we are saying all these things should not be.
“We are not doing this because of our members alone but because of the students which the institution will produce”. Ogunseye submitted.
He, however, suggested three years gestation period for the Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology and Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, to co-exist in order for the government to have ample time to develop the new polytechnic in Ipokia
Also speaking, the Zone ‘C’ coordinator of ASUP, Olawale Omoobaorun, said according to the union’s findings, the only state owned polytechnic in Ogun is the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, with 27 courses accredited by the NBTE.
He added that the union was being proactive to protect its members from being pushed out by the state government in its bid to start the new university.
Kaduna Polytechnic lecturers suspend seven weeks strike
he Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Kaduna Polytechnic chapter, has suspended its seven weeks strike.
The Publicity Secretary of the union, Abbas Muhammed, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Kaduna.
Muhammed said the union suspended the strike following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the union and the polytechnic management.
“The payment of some outstanding allowances by the new Rector, Prof Idris Bugaje, that were allegedly diverted had commenced,” Muhammed said.
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He said leadership of the union agreed to give the new rector the benefit of doubt to resolve the lingering problems of the polytechnic.
The publicity secretary, however, said the suspension would only last for a period of six months after which the union will review the agreement with the management and decide on next line of action.
Muhammed commended those who supported the union including the media in pushing forward its grievances, and called on the polytechnic management to ensure full compliance with all agreements reached to avert further industrial action.
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