The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has called off its planned industrial action following the Federal Government’s intervention concerning a contentious new scheme of service, an official announced.
Dr. Iloma Richard, ASUP Zone D Coordinator, shared this update during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Richard explained that the union had previously issued a 15-day ultimatum to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to halt the implementation of the disputed policy or face industrial action.
“Before the ultimatum expired on July 22, the Federal Ministry of Education convened a tripartite meeting with ASUP and NBTE on July 19,” Richard said. “The meeting resulted in a decision to suspend the implementation of the contentious document via an official circular addressed to all relevant authorities, which NBTE complied with.”
He added that the meeting also resolved to initiate a review process of the flawed scheme of service by critical stakeholders under the guidance of NBTE.
Richard noted that ASUP’s National Executive Council (NEC) was satisfied with the terms reached during the meeting. “Consequently, the NEC resolved to suspend the proposed industrial action while monitoring the sincerity of the review process,” he concluded.
The union leader praised the Federal Ministry of Education for its timely intervention and commended NBTE for its understanding. “We are grateful to ASUP chapters, rectors, provosts, and students for their support during this process,” he emphasized.
The disputed issues in the new scheme include the requirement for the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to act as an approving authority for polytechnics, discriminatory minimum employment requirements for bachelor’s degree holders (set at second class lower) versus upper credits for polytechnic graduates, an extended promotion period for lecturers, non-academic designations for academic staff, and the reclassification of technologists as non-academic staff.
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