POLYTECHNICS TAKE THEIR TURN: ASUP Strike Continues As Poly Lecturers And FG Meeting Ends In DEADLOCK
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) are to continue the ongoing nationwide strike, as the Monday meeting between polytechnic lecturers and the Federal Government ended in a stalemate.
It will be recalled that the ASUP embarked on strike from April 29, July 17, 2013 in the first instance, and resumed the industrial action in early October, 2013. The lecturers demand better working conditions, infrastructure improvement, and ending the discrimination of Polytechnic graduates in placement and career progression, among other things.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ASUP, Clement Chirman, confirmed the deadlock, adding that the Federal Government's delegation was led to the Abuja meeting by the Minister of Labour, Chukwuemeka Wogu.
"The whole thing about the ASUP strike is that there is no definite response from the Government. It's the
same thing over and over again. It's either we meet or we are meeting or we will meet; and after all the meetings, up till now, none of the issues have been tackled," Mr. Chirman lamented.
"Our expectation was since we were on strike while the government was negotiating with ASUU and at that same time negotiating with us – our cases were similar – government would have just handled the issues together and forgot about them.
"But government went ahead and attended to just ASUU and left ASUP. That will explain to you the type of thing ASUP has been talking about; segregation and the concept people have about polytechnics in Nigeria.
"The polytechnics will remain closed and nothing will happen until the funding have been provided and some other pending issues are addressed alongside white paper of the Visitation Panels to Federal Polytechnics and pay arrears owed to polytechnic staff," he said.
The Education Minister, Nyesom Wike, and his labour counterpart, Emeka Wogu, could not be reached for comments.
