Kunle ADELABU
– Council, Management to implement ‘no work no pay’ order – Registrar
The Management of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) has called on the striking members of staff to have a rethink on their planned attacks on the Academic staff and also urged them to abide by the Order of the National Industrial Court which directed them to maintain peace on the campuses of the Polytechnic.
The CONSTISS 15 Migration crisis, which has pitched the management against the staff members, especially the non-academic Union, had led the aggrieved staff members to institute a court action against the Lagos State Government and the Polytechnic Management at the National Industrial Court for redress and the court directed the parties to maintain peace on the campus.
In a release signed by Olanrewaju K. Kuye, Deputy Registrar (Information and Public Relations) of the Polytechnic, the institution’s management appeals to the ‘striking staff members’ to jettison their alleged planned attack on the academic staff members that have been going about their duties and ensuring that the academic calendar is not truncated.
According to the release, the call became necessary following the alleged incitement by a reporter of Radio Lagos/Eko FM at the press conference organized by the non-academic staff. A voice recording of the alleged incitement is in possession of THE IMPACT.
The release states thus:
“The Management made this call in reaction to an audio recording making rounds in which one Muyiwa Kalejaiye from Radio Lagos/Eko FM was inciting the non-academic against the academic staff members who have been working to ensure that the academic calendar is not truncated, that innocent students graduate on time and the finalists are mobilised for the compulsory National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) exercise.
“In the same vein, the striking members of the polytechnic are advised to respect the freedom of Association and allow the academic staff members and other willing staff members to continue their primary assignments without any form of molestation or harassment”.
Kuye stated that Mr Salami Gbenga, the only academic staff member amongst the ‘few striking staff members ’ is no longer the Vice Chairman of the academic union.
“The Management wishes to state that, Mr Salami Gbenga, who is the only academic staff member amongst the few striking staff members and who parades himself as the Vice Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has ceased to be an Executive member of the academic Union owing to the dissolution of the Union Executive in 2017, hence he is advised to stop indulging and instigating the non- academic staff members against his colleagues or working in alliance with others for the same purpose”.
The management also pleaded with the aggrieved staff members to wait for the outcome of the Lagos State House of Assembly’s intervention and the matter instituted at the court.
“The striking members of staff are admonished to listen to wise counsels, embrace dialogue and wait for the outcome of the Head of Service and Lagos State House of Assembly’s interventions and for the National Industrial Court to conclude its efforts at proffering lasting solution to the crisis of the CONTISS 15 Migration before it. .
“It would be recalled that, the agitation for the implementation of Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure (CONTISS 15) migration by the members of the non-academic staff Unions is an issue that NASU and SSANIP have been using since 2016 to foment troubles in the Polytechnic”.
Speaking on the CONTISS 15 Migration crisis, the release states:
“CONTISS 15 migration is the movement of staff member from one salary grade level to the next level provided the staff member meet the necessary conditions stipulated by the NBTE such as: such staff must have been employed before 1st August 2009; such staff must possess the basic academic/professional or both qualifications applicable to his/her competence in addition to compliance to Institutional policy; such staff must have spent a minimum of two (2) years on the current position before the year of migration.
“The Polytechnic acted on the Lagos State Executive Council’s directive in line with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Guidelines. All staff members that met these requirements have been duly migrated while those that failed to meet same requirements were appropriately placed. The grouse of the unions was that they wanted the Management to migrate all staff members with no recourse to the NBTE Guidelines and approval of the state Government simply because some of the union leaders did not meet the requirements. Management, hereby, assures all students, staff members and the general public that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure that the three (3) Campuses of the Polytechnic remain serene, peaceful and conducive for the smooth running of all academic and administrative activities”.
The management also appealed to the striking staff members to allow the new Governor of the state to settle down for governance of the state that he was elected for. LASPOTECH management also stated that it would not fold its hands and allow any breakdown of law and order on the three campuses of the institution :
“While we pray that the few striking members of the Polytechnic would allow His Excellency, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, to settle down for work in peace, it should also be noted that insistence by these few workers on self-help through intimidation, threats and incitement against the law abiding staff members would be curtailed by adequate measures of caution as permitted by the law.
Meanwhile, in an internal memo by the institution’s Registrar, Mr Shakirudeen Bello, dated June 28, 2019, it was stated that the ‘no work no pay’ regime stated in the Trade Dispute Act would be implemented by the institution’s Governing Council.
“Please, recall that the Governing Council at its meeting of Wednesday, March 27, 2019, directed that the Non-Teaching staff members on strike should resume work effective on Monday, 1st April, 2019, failure of which ‘’No Work No Pay rule ‘’shall apply.
“The Governing Council noted that payment of staff salaries had continued despite the industrial action which commenced on January 21st 2019.
“It would also be recalled that the attention of the striking staff members was drawn to the provisions of Section 43(1) (a) of the Trade Dispute Act, which states that :
“Where any worker takes part in a strike, he/she shall not be entitled to any wages or other remunerations for the period of the strike, and any such period shall not count for the purpose of reckoning the period of continuous employment and all rights depend on continuity of employment shall be prejudicially affected accordingly”.
The Registrar stated that the ‘no work no pay’, which was allegedly truncated by the striking staff members earlier in the year, would be re-introduced as directed by the Council.
“The Governing Council, at its meeting of Monday, June 24, 2019, having considered its efforts and efforts of various agencies and distinguished personalities within the state to appeal to the sense of reasoning of the union leaders to follow due process in their agitation but which all fell on the deaf ears of the Union leaders, is hereby left with no other option than to carry out the directive of the State Government dated 5th April, 2019, invoking the provisions of Section 43 (1) (a) of Trade Dispute Act as stated earlier”, the memo stated.
When contacted, Mr Akinlawon Fasasi,the Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (NASUP), LASPOTECH chapter, simply wrote back to our reporter, “No view sir”
As at the time of going to the press, attempts to get the reactions of Muyiwa Kalejaiye, the reporter from Radio Lagos/Eko FM and Mr Salami Gbenga, proved abortive
