ASUP Strike Looms As FG Fails to Release N15 Billion Revitalisation Funds

;

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has hinted that it may embark o strike any moment from now if the federal government fails to release the agreed N15 billion as revitalisation funds into the nation’s public polytechnics.

This was contained in a statement made available on Sunday by the publicity secretary of the union, Mr Abdullahi Yalwa at the end of the 101st regular National Executive Council meeting of the union held at the Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, Ogun State.

The lecturers said they would not give any warning strike again before going into total and indefinite industrial action should the government continue not to yield to meet its own terms of last agreement reached with the union in April and upon which they suspended their earlier strike that lasted about 65-days.

According to them, the union’s NEC has frowned on the government’s lethargic approach towards the implementation of some items in the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoA) despite the three-month suspension corridor granted by the union.

“And of particular interest in the items include the non-release of the approved N15 billion Revitalisation Fund for the sector more than three months after the approval, non-release of Minimum Wage Arrears to staff of Federal Polytechnics and several State-owned Polytechnics, non-commencement of the Renegotiation of the Union’s 2010 agreement despite the reconstitution of Governing Councils, as well as the continued non-payment of salaries in several state-owned institutions."