ASUP Embarks On Indefinite Strike Again

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP)The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have directed its members nationwide to embark on an indefinite strike from Wednesday, to demand the implementation of a four year old agreement with the Federal Government.The union, until July 2014, had embarked on a nine-month strike and had suspended it following apromise from the Minister of Education, IbrahimShekarau, who was newly appointed then, that he would resolve the matter within three months.The President of ASUP, Dr. Chibuzor Asomugha, speaking with newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC), also called for the dissolution of governing council of Federal Polytechnic Oko, in Anambra State and that of Ado Ekiti in EkitiState for causing avoidable problems in their institutions.Asomugha recalled that the union had issued a two week ultimatum starting February 11, 2015.He called for the withdrawal of a circular issued by the Ministry of Education suspending the implementation of CONTISS 15.Other grievances of the union include the continueddiscrimination 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 reviewof 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 thedisadvantage of the polytechnic sector.