By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
UNRESOLVED LABOUR issues in Nigeria’s polytechnic sector have prompted the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to issue a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government.
The union’s National Executive Council reached the decision during an emergency meeting in Abuja, with ASUP President Shammah Kpanja briefing journalists on Thursday on the outcome.
Kpanja stated that the ultimatum centres on the implementation of commitments contained in the 2010 agreement between the union and the government.
He highlighted the immediate release of a circular by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission as a priority, saying it would enable payment of the Peculiar Academic Allowance for polytechnic lecturers.
He criticised the removal of the allowances from the federal budgeting template and said the Ministry of Education had failed to intervene to restore them.
The ASUP president further drew attention to the non-payment of arrears from the 25 and 35 per cent salary reviews covering 12 months, despite the funds being provided for in the national budget.
He described the situation as unacceptable and urged the authorities to expedite payment to affected members.
Concerns were also raised over the continued outsourcing of accreditation for polytechnics by the National Board for Technical Education.
According to Kpanja, the union had received assurances in the past that the practice would be discontinued, yet it remains in place, affecting institutional autonomy.
The NEC, he said, also noted with concern that several state governments have yet to implement the new national minimum wage for polytechnic staff.
The union reiterated its demand for the full enforcement of the wage policy, warning that continued delay contravenes the law.
Another unresolved matter, Kpanja explained, is the approval of a dual-mandate structure aimed at removing the long-standing dichotomy between Higher National Diploma (HND) and university degree holders.
He stressed that the absence of this policy perpetuates discrimination against polytechnic graduates, hindering their career progression.
“In light of these unresolved issues, our NEC has resolved to issue a 21-day ultimatum to the government,” Kpanja said.
He warned that failure to address the demands within the period could compel the union to declare a trade dispute, which would result in a nationwide shutdown of polytechnics and monotechnics.
The union maintains that the demands are essential to improving the welfare of its members, strengthening the polytechnic system, and ensuring parity for graduates in the labour market.
As the deadline approaches, attention is expected to turn to negotiations between the FG and ASUP to avert potential disruption to academic activities across the country’s technical education sector.
