The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), on Thursday in Oweri, the Imo State capital, said it will shut down Polytechnics and Mono-technics nationwide to protest the non-payment of 14 months salary arrears of its members and the Federal Government’s refusal to implement the agreement reached with the Union two years ago.
The Union, said the planned industrial action will commence after the 21st of August, when the one month ultimatum it earlier gave to the government will expire.
The Coordinator of ASUP Zone D, Comrade Chika Ogonwa, who disclosed this during a media briefing shortly after an emergency meeting of the Union at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, recalled that the Union suspended its nine month strike in 2014 “on the strength of the appeal by parents and other stakeholders and the promises of the government to resolve the 13-point demand of the Union within three months”.
But he noted that, “two years have elapsed and yet government has not come around to effectively address the Union’s demands”.
According to him, “several attempts by the Union to engage responsible government officials both under the past and present administration to address the demands have met with lethargic response from them. The effect of this may be likened to a sour left unattended to for too long; the challenges facing the sector have continued to worsen.
“The worsening state of the sector has been brought to the attention of the present government. The indifference shown by government has compelled the Union to issue a one month ultimatum to the government, effective from 21st July 2016 to address the current challenges if we are to stop the decay in the sector”.
He listed the Union’s grievances to include the non-implementation of the Needs assessment report of 2014, the conduct of needs assessment survey for public polytechnics and monotechnics and the review of Polytechnics Acts, the victimization of union officials and non-release of check off dues and interference in the union activities by the management of Federal Polytechnic Oko and four others.
“Our officials are being suspended, sacked, and bounded by these campus dictators and this is the prevailing situation in Federal Polytechnics Oko and Mubi, Delta state Polytechnics Ogwashi-Uku, Adamawa State Polytechnics, and Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic Ikot Osurua”, he stated.
The Union also expressed worry over the non-payment of salaries of its members in 14 institutions spread across the country in the last ten months.
It named the affected institutions where workers are owed between two to ten months salaries to include Abia, Edo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, and Benue.
Others are Imo, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Ondo, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun, and Nasarawa.
Ogonwa noted that in spite the release of the bailout fund by the Federal Government the state-owned polytechnics and Colleges of Educations in these states were still being owed arrears of salaries.
ASUP particularly express serious concern over the current situation in Oko, where the Union alleged high level of victimization of its members and decay in academic standard.
According to the Union, “in Federal Polytechnic Oko, the Rector, after destroying academic standard in the institution, has seized the check off dues of the Union for two years and is currently hounding Union officials through spurious queries, suspensions and Court cases”.
However when contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Oko Polytechnic, Mr Obini Onuchukwu, described the allegation by as misleading.
He said that ASUP in Oko is currently factionalized.
Onuchukwu who described the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Godwin Onu, as `a union friendly Rector’, said “he would not have withheld the check off dues meant for ASUP if the union was not in dispute”.
According to him, “the matter between the two factions are in court, and I hope it will not be prejudice talking to you, but all the same the rector cannot withhold the check off because it does not belong to him.
“The Rector had made spirited effort to resolve the matter and the matter continues to deepen such that the matter is even threatening the peace of the institution’’.
Onuchukwu explained further that, “after due consultation in other not to have the place in flame, the rector decided to keep the check off in safe mode pending the final resolution of the matter. Whatever is due the Union as check off is intact”.
The Union, said the planned industrial action will commence after the 21st of August, when the one month ultimatum it earlier gave to the government will expire.
The Coordinator of ASUP Zone D, Comrade Chika Ogonwa, who disclosed this during a media briefing shortly after an emergency meeting of the Union at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, recalled that the Union suspended its nine month strike in 2014 “on the strength of the appeal by parents and other stakeholders and the promises of the government to resolve the 13-point demand of the Union within three months”.
But he noted that, “two years have elapsed and yet government has not come around to effectively address the Union’s demands”.
According to him, “several attempts by the Union to engage responsible government officials both under the past and present administration to address the demands have met with lethargic response from them. The effect of this may be likened to a sour left unattended to for too long; the challenges facing the sector have continued to worsen.
“The worsening state of the sector has been brought to the attention of the present government. The indifference shown by government has compelled the Union to issue a one month ultimatum to the government, effective from 21st July 2016 to address the current challenges if we are to stop the decay in the sector”.
He listed the Union’s grievances to include the non-implementation of the Needs assessment report of 2014, the conduct of needs assessment survey for public polytechnics and monotechnics and the review of Polytechnics Acts, the victimization of union officials and non-release of check off dues and interference in the union activities by the management of Federal Polytechnic Oko and four others.
“Our officials are being suspended, sacked, and bounded by these campus dictators and this is the prevailing situation in Federal Polytechnics Oko and Mubi, Delta state Polytechnics Ogwashi-Uku, Adamawa State Polytechnics, and Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic Ikot Osurua”, he stated.
The Union also expressed worry over the non-payment of salaries of its members in 14 institutions spread across the country in the last ten months.
It named the affected institutions where workers are owed between two to ten months salaries to include Abia, Edo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo, and Benue.
Others are Imo, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Ondo, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun, and Nasarawa.
Ogonwa noted that in spite the release of the bailout fund by the Federal Government the state-owned polytechnics and Colleges of Educations in these states were still being owed arrears of salaries.
ASUP particularly express serious concern over the current situation in Oko, where the Union alleged high level of victimization of its members and decay in academic standard.
According to the Union, “in Federal Polytechnic Oko, the Rector, after destroying academic standard in the institution, has seized the check off dues of the Union for two years and is currently hounding Union officials through spurious queries, suspensions and Court cases”.
However when contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Oko Polytechnic, Mr Obini Onuchukwu, described the allegation by as misleading.
He said that ASUP in Oko is currently factionalized.
Onuchukwu who described the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Godwin Onu, as `a union friendly Rector’, said “he would not have withheld the check off dues meant for ASUP if the union was not in dispute”.
According to him, “the matter between the two factions are in court, and I hope it will not be prejudice talking to you, but all the same the rector cannot withhold the check off because it does not belong to him.
“The Rector had made spirited effort to resolve the matter and the matter continues to deepen such that the matter is even threatening the peace of the institution’’.
Onuchukwu explained further that, “after due consultation in other not to have the place in flame, the rector decided to keep the check off in safe mode pending the final resolution of the matter. Whatever is due the Union as check off is intact”.
Comments