Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, said it has resolved to defer its planned nationwide strike to December 2, to allow the federal government meet its demands.
National President of ASUP, Mr Kpanja Shammah, said this in a statement at the end of the union’s emergency National Executive Council, NEC, at the weekend in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that the union had on October 7, issued a 15-days ultimatum to the federal government to meet its demands.
The demands include the alleged interference of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, in the statutory duties of Academic Boards regarding the admission of HND students.
Others are the need for infrastructure revitalisation through the Needs Assessment intervention, implementation of promotions in state institutions, payment of all outstanding promotion arrears.
There was also the settlement of pending arrears from 25 percent and 35 percent salary review for the period of January 2023 to December 2023 in Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology.
According to Shammah, following the ultimatum, a resolution meeting of all stakeholders in the sector was convened by the Federal Ministry of Education.
He said the meeting was convened with a view to resolve the contentious issues on October 23.
“Resolutions and an action plan were developed during the meeting to resolve the issues.
“The union’s NEC, therefore, met again on an emergency note on October 24 to review the action plan as proposed in the meeting with the stakeholders.
“After exhaustive deliberations, the union resolved to defer its proposed industrial action to December 2.
“The decision was taken to gauge government’s commitment to implementing the action plan as agreed at the meeting on October 23,”he said.
He said it was ASUP’s expectation that government would take advantage of the period to show commitment by diligently executing the action plan on each of the 11 items in dispute. NAN
