The Nigerian polytechnic lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have declared a two-week warning strike with effect from Monday, May 16.
This position was contained in a statement signed by the union’s president, Anderson Ezeibe, and dated May 11, 2022.
The statement noted that the decision was taken at its 102nd emergency national executive council meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday.
The union said the decision became imperative following the failure of the government to implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed in June, 2021, which informed the suspension of its two-month strike at the time.
ASUP said it also gave a one-month ultimatum in April to address its needs but said the government ignored its threat, and went on with political activities as if everything was normal.
The new development is coming less than 72 hours after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced the extension of its ongoing strike by another three months.
Other labour unions in the universities- Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) are also currently on strike.
ASUP’s demands
The union in its statement, which was titled; “Status Update of the ASUP/Federal Government of Nigeria Engagement and Resolutions of the Emergency National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting of ASUP held on the 11th of May, 2022,” listed nine issues at the centre of its disagreement with the government.
ASUP said these issues include the alleged failure to release the approved revitalisation fund of N15 billion for the sector 11 months after it was approved by President Muhammadu Buahri; failure to release arrears of its members’ new minimum wage.
The union said the unpaid arrears already accumulated to 10 months, and that the approximately N19 billion “composite amount” reportedly sits with the office of the accountant-general of the federation with an “Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE)” not issued, among seven other issues.
