Nigerian Polytechnic lecturers said they have decided to suspend their indefinite strike action “following the level of progress made in negotiation with and the intervention of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives committee on education”.
The lecturers, members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, also stated that the suspension of the strike action is to allow the joint committee to liaise with relevant “Ministries, agencies and Parastatals with a view to tackling all issues contained in the Union’s demands within a time frame of one month as against the two weeks earlier requested by the committee”.
In a press release issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Union, Clement Chirman, stated that the strike was suspended after an Emergency National Executive Council, NEC meeting of the union which was held in Abuja.
The polytechnic lecturers had been on strike for almost three months, thereby paralyzing academic activities in Nigerian polytechnics.
Read the full ASUP statement below:
PRESS RELEASE
16th May, 2013
ASUP SUSPENDS NATION-WIDE STRIKE
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its nationwide strike following the level of progress made in negotiation with government and the intervention of the Joint Senate and House of representative committee on education. The suspension is also to allow the Joint-committee liaise with relevant ministries, agencies and parastatals with a view to tackling all the issues contained in the union’s demands within a time-frame of one month as against the two weeks earlier requested by the committee.
In a press release issued in Abuja today, the National Publicity Secretary of the Union, comrade Clement Chirman stated that the strike was suspended after an Emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union which was held in Abuja today: ‘The union, after a holistic appraisal of the progress made so far resolved that the strike be suspended. It noted that the circular for implementation of CONTISS 15 migration for lower cadres has been released while appreciable work has been done on reconstitution of governing councils of Federal polytechnics which were earlier omitted. On enrolment of polytechnics into the IPPIS module, the union remains resolute on its earlier position that reasonable caution be employed to take care of the autonomy of polytechnics’.
The union however employs stake-holders in the negotiation to respect the agreement reached to avoid further disruption of academic activities in Nigerian polytechnics.
You will recall that the ASUP had embarked on a nation-wide strike on April 29, 2013 to press government to address among other things:
1. The need for constitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics.
2. The Migration of the lower cadre on CONTISS 15 salary scale
3. The release of the White Paper on the Visitations to Federal Polytechnics
4. The need for the commencement of the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Polytechnics
5. The worrisome state of State owned Polytechnics in the country
6. The continued appointment of unqualified persons as Rectors and Provosts of Polytechnics, Monotechnics and Colleges of Technologies by some by state governments.
7. The refusal of most State governments to implement the approved salary packages (CONPCASS) for their Polytechnics, and the 65 year retirement age.
8. The insistence of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to include Federal Polytechnics in the IPPIS module as against the Union’s protestations while other arms of the tertiary education sub-sector are allowed to maintain the status quo.
9. The continued recognition of The National Board for Technical Education as the regulatory body of Nigerian Polytechnics as against the union’s repeated call for the establishment of a National Polytechnics Commission (NPC).
10. The snail speed on works on the amendment of the Federal Polytechnics Act/Scheme of Service.
11. The non commencement of the re-negotiation of the FGN/ASUP agreement as contained in the signed agreement.
Clement Chirman
(National Publicity Secretary) 
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