ASUP Strike continues, lecturers NEC rules
Suleiman Bello
Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, concluded its National Executive Council meeting yesterday and resolved to continue with its strike.
The union’s National Publicity Secretary, Clement Chirman, said the Federal Government was frustrating the union and prolonging the strike.
He explained that government was yet to say move forward with a committee that it had promised to setup to resolve the issue of wages and salary arrears.
“Our strike cannot be suspended just like that. The last time we met the (Education) Minster, he said the government would set up a committee based on the observation of Salaries and Wages commission on payment of CONTISS 15 migration.
“The minister said before the House of Representatives that both ASUP and COEASU should join the meeting; which we agreed to do.
“Then he gave one week from the date of our last meeting for the setup of the committee.
“But since that day, no committee has been set up and there has been nothing from the government concerning the committee. So our position is that government is frustrating and prolonging the strike.
“At our NEC meeting we agreed that there was no basis upon which the strike would be suspended.”
The Union secretary said the union would not call off the strike based on “nothing.”
“We understand the fact that people have suffered and we have also suffered too. For now there is no other decision made than to continue with the strike,” he said.
ASUP has been on strike since October 4, 2013. The union’s demands include the need for the constitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics, the migration of the lower cadres on the CONTISS 15 salary scale, the release of the White Paper on the Visitations to Federal Polytechnics, and the need for the commencement of the Need Assessment of Nigerian Polytechnics.
Last week, government said it has met the other demands of the lecturers.
