Polytechnic strike continues, despite parley with FG —ASUP President

November 19, 2017

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IN spite of an ongoing Federal Government meeting with the striking polytechnic lectures, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Comrade Usman Dutse, declared on Saturday that the strike continues this week.

Dutse, who spoke with Sunday Tribune last night, stated that though the government had presented its position to the leadership of the union, the strike could not be suspended, because the final decision lies with the members of the union through the ASUP National Executive Council.

Dutse said: “With the government, we have not concluded. We have not been able to conclude because the final say is with the NEC. When the NEC concludes, we will get back to the media.”

“Yes, our strike is still on and discussion is also ongoing. We have met with the government, we have discussed and they have presented their position to the union; but we have to present it to our members before we can decide on the next line of action.

“Whatever they presented to us, we have to go back to our people and this is exactly what we are going to do. Yes, there is Memorandum of Understanding, but even though they signed it, we still need to go back to our members for feedback for their final position before we can suspend the strike. You know the same process you follow to go on strike, that is the process you follow to call it off. We have to get to our National Executive Council (NEC).”

However, there is strong indication that the strike might be suspended within the week based on the meeting at the instance of Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and his Education counterpart, Adamu Adamu as the striking teachers had agreed to produce a Memorandum of Understanding aiming at resolving the matters.

Sources in ASUP, told our correspondent that the teachers were waiting for other parties to sign the MoU and then present it to their organ for consideration, with a view to calling off the strike.

ASUP had on November 13, 2017 began the indefinite strike, following failure government to address its demands. Comrade Dutse gave the crucial issues in contention to include: Non – of the implementation of the NEEDS Assessment Report; Non – passage of the Amendment Bill of the Polytechnics Act; the sorry state of State – Government owned Institutions; Shortfalls in Personnel Releases and Withdrawal of Allowances; Non Release of CONTISS 15 Migration arrears; Infractions in the Appointment of Rectors; and Continued Victimization of Union Officers.

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