The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has declared its intention to begin on a nationwide strike from Wednesday, 12th of December, 2018.
In a phone interview with our Correspondent, the National President of ASUP, Usman Dutse said it has become the strike has become imminent because the Federal Government had failed to meet with the demands of Polytechnics Lecturers.
The union has given a 21 day ultimatum on the 2nd of October, 2018.
Dutse said the proposed strike this December would be total and indefinite. The decision was made at the 93rd National Executive Council Meeting at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos last week.
“Government has failed to implement and fulfill agreements it has reached with the union and contained in the memorandum of Understanding signed,” Dutse stated.
“The issue of Funding of the Institutions has always been a major concern. The Government over the years have always been breaking their promises. There are other reasons bothering on the roles of the State Government and the National Assembly.
“The Institutions are not funded. The states are even worse because state governments just establish schools without actually funding those schools, so we don’t have infrastructure in place to aid learning. The Strike we embarked upon was to make sure there was a review on the act on the establishment of Polytechnics in countries” he added
The President also accused some state governments of owing salaries of their workers up to 14 months, just as institutions victimize union leaders who speak out against injustice.
“We hoped that the strike would make the Government look into improving the condition of service and the payment of additional allowances government owed Polytechnics Lecturers” he added
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on strike for three weeks over the poor funding of the Federal Universities in the country.
-THE NATION
