Well, what else are we expecting if not the best? According to latest news reaching our news desk today, the national executives of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, have scheduled an all-important meeting on Thursday, the 12th of June, 2014, where the union will be sitting down to review the ongoing strike and negotiations between the union and the Federal Government.
Like most of us are already aware of, the Academic staff union of Polytechnics, (ASUP) has been on strike since the 4th of October 2013.
The union’s demand includes the following listed below:
- The need for the constitution of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics,
- The migration of the lower cadres on the CONTISS 15 salary scale,
- The release of the White Paper on the Visitations to Federal Polytechnics,
- The need for the commencement of the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Polytechnics.
Faith, a Dailyschoolnews Nigeria correspondent, was able to gather that recent negotiations have been positive between the leadership of ASUP and the federal government, and Thursday’s meeting would enable the union’s negotiating team to brief its executives, which means that if all goes well, the Union will consider the federal government offer and call of the 2014 asup strike legally.
According to a source among the ASUP management board, disclosed that as he is not permitted to speak on the matter, therefore plead anonymity, and said that the meeting, which will hold in Abuja, will not call off the strike, but would review the negotiations between the two bodies.
The anonymous source, however, said the strike would be called off very soon, as the negotiations were more progressive as never before.
However, when we contacted the ASUP National Publicity secretary, Clement Chirman, he also confirmed the meeting, and here’s his exact words which we decide to quote.
“We are meeting to appraise the level of negotiation and to also decide on the next line of action,” he said.
The intervention of the House of Representatives in the strike appears to have influenced the seeming progress in negotiations.
A meeting was held at the National Assembly on May 27 between lecturers and the government delegation led by the Education Minister, Nyesom Wike. The meeting was facilitated by the House Committee on Education.
At the meeting, Mr. Wike told attendees that the major contention of the workers, which is their salary arrears, was not being addressed because a government agency had raised concerns.
He said the Salaries, Wages and Income Commission was opposed to the payment of arrears owed the lecturers, saying it was not consulted before the 2009 CONTISSS agreement between the lecturers and the federal government was reached
You can read full details about the meeting by CLICKING HERE
Mr. Wike also went on to assure the Academic staff Union of Polytechnics that the Federal Government would resolve the on-going strike, saying it was deploying all means to reach an agreement with the ASUP as well as striking lecturers of the colleges of education, COEASU.
However, what you should note here today, is that there are indications, that the current ASUP and COEASU 2014 strike would not be called off on Thursday.
It’s important that you are aware, that the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP) have been on nine-month, while the Colleges of Education and Academic Staff Union, also known as (COEASU) have been on (7) seven-month strike respectively.
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