Education

See Why And When Polytechnic Lecturers will Begin Two-Week Strike

Published by Tope Fakinlede on November 29th, 2024.

See Why And When Polytechnic Lecturers will Begin Two-Week Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has announced that its members will commence a two-week warning strike starting December 2, 2024. This move follows the federal government’s failure to address the union’s eleven key demands, some of which include concerns about due process violations and governance issues in polytechnics.

A major point of contention is the appointment of a new Rector at the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, which ASUP claims was carried out without adhering to the required procedures set out in the Federal Polytechnics Act.

ASUP President, Kpanja Shamnah, made the announcement after the union’s 112th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, where he briefed journalists on the outcome. He also reminded the public that ASUP had previously issued a 15-day ultimatum to the government and relevant authorities to resolve these issues or face industrial action.

Shamnah elaborated on the challenges facing the sector, which include a disregard for the Federal Polytechnics Act, as well as state-level edicts and regulations concerning the appointment of key officials in polytechnics. He cited the recent appointments of Rectors at both the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, and Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, as examples of these violations.

Other unresolved issues include the delay in reviewing the contentious “Schemes of Service for Polytechnics,” the non-release of the NEEDS Assessment intervention funds for 2023, and interference by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in the academic decisions of polytechnic boards regarding Higher National Diploma admissions. ASUP also highlighted the failure of several state-owned polytechnics to implement the 35/25 percent salary review for their staff and the non-payment of arrears in federal polytechnics.

Following a thorough review of these ongoing challenges, the union has decided to initiate the warning strike as a first step, emphasizing that the government must address these issues promptly to avoid further industrial actions.

The two-week strike will serve as a signal to the government to resolve the concerns raised, with the union warning that failure to do so may lead to an indefinite strike in the future.