The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics
(ASUP) announced the decision to suspend
the nationwide strike on July 16, 2013.
Unfortunately, it has just been a pause. ASUP is gearing for another industrial
action, which would commence after next
week, and would be indefinite. The union made the appropriate statement
on August 13, 2013, Tuesday during the
mass protest to ‘save public education’ in Lagos. “The suspension of the strike will expire
next week and up till now government has
not done any single thing in the
agreement,” said Chibuzo Asomugha,
ASUP’s National President. After 81 days of inactivity in polytechnics
across Nigeria, the union decided to
suspend the strike following the level of
progress made in negotiations with the
government. ASUP said that it suspended the strike to
allow the Senate Joint Committee on
Education to liaise with relevant
government agencies with a view to tackling
the union’s demands within one month. Among ASUP’s demands include the need
for constitution of the Governing Councils
of Federal Polytechnics; migration of the
lower cadre to CONTISS 15 salary scale; and
the “worrisome condition” of state-owned
polytechnics in the country. “Government should stop paying lip service
to public education,” said Mr. Asomugha.
“The closer you get to this people in
government, the more you lose hope.”
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