ASUP puts strike on hold as FG opens negotiation

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), on Friday, withdrew the strike notice issued to its members nationwide to commence industrial next on Monday.

The union said it put the commencement of the strike action on hold because of the decision of the federal government to engage its leadership over the demands that led to the issuance of the strike notice.

The zonal coordinator of the union in zone B, Abdullahi Yalwa, who made the disclosure I Lokoja, Kogi state capital, however said the next line of action would depend on the outcome of the deliberations between government and the national president of ASUP, Usman Dutse.

Accorsing to him, it was unfortunate that government decided not to dialogue with the union since July 2015 that it had presented its demands.

He however said ASUP, being a peace loving union, decided to hang the ultimatum given to government over the strike and postpone the commencement from Monday.

Yalwa said, “The strike notice is still in view depending on the agreement reached with the national president of our union, so the ultimatum is hanging and we have mobilised all our state chapters and are ready to embark on the strike action”.

He explained that after the nine months strike action aimed at repositioning the vocational and technical education sub sector embarked upon by the union in 2013, no significant progress had been made in addressing the issues in dispute.

He however listed the issues leading to the issuance of the strike notice to include non implementation of the NEEDS assessment report of 2014, non payment od salaries in many state owned institutions, shortfall in personnel allocations, victimisation of union officials.

Others were non release of arrears of promotion, non release of visitation panel reports, delay in the review of the polytechnic Act and non commencement of the renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN agreement of 2010 which has been due since 2013.

He said, “We have demonstrated enough patience and must act most appropriately in line with our mandate as a trade union. If they are not addressed our members nationwide will be left with no option but to embark on a nationwide strike”.