ASUP Withdraws Strike Notice
By: Ahmed Aminu, Dutse
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its plan to embark on indefinite strike for one month.
The union had issued a strike notice to the Federal Government to protest a contentious provision in the new scheme of service for polytechnic workers released by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
The union had contended that several provisions in the document would fundamentally alter the tertiary education status of polytechnics in Nigeria, deepen the discrimination against holders of Higher National diploma HND certificate, distort employee relativity within the polytechnic system and unnecessarily expand the overhead of the institutions.
According to ASUP Zone A Coordinator, Comrade, Abdulaziz Ibrahim Badaru, the union agreed to suspend strike during it’s 110th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
He said at a press conference on Monday in Dutse, that the decision followed a tripartite meeting with the NBTE and Federal Ministry of Education on the 19 of July 2024 in which they agreed that the implementation of the flawed document be suspended and a review process to be initiated in line with union’s demand.
“The review process is to be completed within one month from the day of the meeting, subsequently the NBTE issued a circular immediately for suspending the contentious document”.
He said in view of the positive development, ASUP during the NEC meeting resolved to suspend the planned industrial action for one month “recognising that our demands has been substantially met”.
Badaru appreciated the steadfastness of union members, and the intervention and inputs of various stakeholders in resolving the impasse.
Meanwhile, the union has appealed to the federal government to establish a National Polytechnics Commission like those of universities and colleges of education.
According to ASUP, the NBTE lacks the capacity to regulate the affairs of polytechnics in the country.
