ASUP suspends planned industrial action

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has shelved its strike plans in protest against the new service regulations approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

The Chairman of Federal Poly Union, Offa Chapter, Kwara State, Dr. Atilola Moses Idowu, disclosed this to DAILY POST in Ilorin on Tuesday.

He said the facility was now fully staffed after strike action was suspended on Monday.

The decision to suspend strike action was taken at the union’s NEC emergency meeting on July 22, 2024, which was to review the union’s position on the controversial new roster approved by the NBTE.

“The NEC has decided to suspend the previously planned industrial action as the union’s demands have been substantially met,” said a statement by the union’s national chair, Shammah Kpanja.

The statement appreciated the constructive intervention of the Federal Minister of Education and the open-minded attitude of the Executive Secretary of the NBTE in the decision-making process. The media was also acknowledged for being valuable partners.

According to DAILY POST, the two-week ultimatum, which was due to expire on Monday, July 22, 2024, was due to sensitive issues in the new polytechnics roster released by the NBTE on June 19, 2024.

The union has examined the document and identified several positions that fundamentally changed the tertiary education system of the country’s polytechnics and exacerbated the reprehensible and centuries-old discrimination against holders of the Higher National Diploma degree.

According to the union, the new service model distorts the employee relations at the Nigerian Polytechnic and unnecessarily increases the institutions’ overhead costs. Other concerns remain.

The union therefore called for a suspension of the implementation of the controversial provisions and the initiation of a thorough review through a process involving all stakeholders.

The 15-day ultimatum was intended to give the government sufficient time to address the union’s grievances, otherwise it would face various forms of industrial action from disgruntled members.

DAILY POST learnt that the union leadership was invited to a tripartite meeting with the leadership of the NBTE and the Federal Ministry of Education on July 19, 2024, where it was decided to suspend the implementation of the erroneous new roster document and to initiate a review process in line with the union’s demands.