A one week nationwide warning strike is scheduled by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, to commence today (Monday) over Federal Government’s alleged refusal to reopen negotiations on the agreement it entered with the union in 2010.
National Coordinator of ASUP in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones, Dr. Chika Ogonwa, said the union might be forced to shut down the polytechnic system should the Federal Government refuse to address their grievancess.
Alleging that the Federal Government was insensitive to their plights, Ogonwa said part of their demand was the need to review the “Polytechnic Act which at present, prescribes National Diploma, ND, for middle level manpower.”
Saying that the nation’s economy was in comatose because the players were half-baked, he argued that 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.
He listed other grievances to include alleged victimization of union officials, non-release of union check-off dues and undue interference in union activities, deliberate attempt at frustrating the resolutions of the meeting of the council on establishments, sustained poor funding of polytechnics and non-release of CONTISS 15 migration arrears.
Ogonwa said: “The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is insensitive to our plight. After this warning strike, the Federal Government will be left with two options, either to close down the system or redeem it from total collapse. This manifested in poor funding, discriminatory practices, decayed infrastructure, weak and obsolete legal and regulatory regimes, wanton and wilful breach of agreements as well as serial and sustained cases of impunity in the sector.”
