FG, Poly Lecturers Meet to Avert Strike

The federal government, represented by officials of the Ministries of Education and Labour and Productivity would hold a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in a bid to avert the indefinite strike which starts tomorrow.

The union, following a two-week ultimatum which expires Wednesday is set to down tools over the failure of the government to honour an agreement reached four years ago for revamping the tertiary sub-sector.

The President of ASUP, in a conversation on Monday disclosed that the meeting would hold today to discuss the issues.

He disclosed that the union would meet with members of the Education Committee in the House of Representatives this afternoon.
The union is demanding the withdrawal of a circular from the Ministry of Education suspending CONTISS 15 in Polytechnics.

It is also demanding the dissolution of the governing councils of the Federal Polytechnics Oko, Anambra and in Ado Ekiti for autocratic activities.

Other grievances of the union include the continued discrimination against polytechnic graduates in public service and in the labour market in Nigeria, the non-release of the White Paper on the Visitation to Federal Polytechnics, the non-implementation of CONTISS 15 migration for the lower cadres and its arrears as from 2009 when the salary structure was approved and the non-establishment of a National Polytechnics Commission (NPC) and the wrongful continued recognition of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as the regulatory body for polytechnics.

Others are the non-constitution of governing councils for some federal polytechnics by the federal government, the snail-pace of the review of the Federal Polytechnics Act by the National Assembly and the gross under funding of the polytechnic sub sector and continued lopsidedness in the disbursements of TETfund grants and other interventions clearly designed to the disadvantage of the polytechnic sector.

“The non-commencement of the re-negotiation of the FGN/ASUP agreement as contained in the signed agreement, the worrisome state of most state owned polytechnics and the failure of some state governments to implement policies that would ensure standardisation of programmes and welfare of workers in the sector, the continued appointments of inappropriate persons as Rectors and Provost of polytechnics, monotechnics and College of Technologies by governments.

“The refusal of most state governments to implement the approved salary package (CONPCASS) and 65-year retirement age for their Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Technology. The refusal of government to carry out a comprehensive Needs Assessment of Nigeria’s public polytechnics and funding there to,” ASUP said in a statement issued last week.