The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has condemned the Federal Government for withholding eight months’ salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), in spite of the intervention of the National Assembly and other critical stakeholders in the impasse.
ASUP said the treatment being meted out to members of ASUU as a result of prolonged strike action was an assault and attempt by the government to cage ASUU and other staff unions in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the 105th meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUP) held in Abuja with the Chapter Chairmen of the member institutions across the Federation and the Council of National Officers (CNO) of the Union in attendance.
National Publicity Secretary of ASUP, Abdullahi Yalwa, who signed the Communique obtained by Tribune Online on Wednesday in Abuja, also condemned the non-payment of promotion arrears in most Federal Polytechnics with some of the polytechnics owed in arrears of over 3 years.
The Federal Government had invoked the non-work-no-pay policy and refused to pay members of ASUU the 8 months’ salaries they were on strike.
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Part of the communique read: “The Union notes with discomfort the determination of the Federal Government to “cage” the activities of staff trade unions in the nation’s tertiary education space.
“The assault by the government is evident in the treatment being meted out to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as shown in the withholding of their salaries despite interventions by the National Assembly and pleas by other well-meaning Nigerians.
“Similar maltreatment is extended to Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Academic Technologists Union, and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).
“The Federal Government has equally refused to conclude collective bargaining processes in the renegotiation of signed and expired agreements involving ASUP, ASUU, COEASU, SSANU, NATE, SSANIP and NASU which will in turn usher in an era of sustainable industrial harmony in public tertiary institutions in the country.
“The union is uncomfortable with efforts being made to price qualitative public tertiary education out of the reach of common Nigerians as is currently the case with basic education,” it stated.
ASUP further demanded immediate payment of withheld salaries to staff of Plateau, Osun, Benue, Ondo, Bayelsa, and Ogun states’ owned member institutions.
The Union also called on the state governments to implement and pay up arrears of all promotions and annual increments to deserving members and resolve irregularities in third-party deductions and remittances in Bauchi, Plateau, Ogun, Osun, and Benue states.
“NEC equally decried the slow pace in addressing the non-payment of arrears of CONTISS 15 migration owed to staff in the sector for nearly 10 years.
“NEC noted and decried the piecemeal approach to correcting the anomalies in the template for appointment of principal officers as produced by the Federal Ministry of Education”.
