ASUP to begin nationwide strike on December 12

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has declared that it would begin an indefinite strike starting from December 12, 2018.

The polytechnic lecturers will join their university colleagues who have been on strike since November 4th to press home their demands with the Federal Government.

In a chat with Premium Times, the National President of ASUP, Usman Dutse said the federal government had failed to meet the demands of the polytechnic lecturers. Prior to this impending strike, the union had on October 2 issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government before it extended it to November. But even then, it did not commence the strike.   

Dutse further stated that the proposed strike would be “total and indefinite. This further emphasises the resolution of the 93rd National Executive Council meeting reached at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos last week. Government has failed to implement and fulfil agreements it reached with the union as contained in the memorandum of understanding signed,” .  

Recall that ASUP went on strike in November 2017 but when the federal government reached an agreement to implement the recommendations of the 2014 NEEDS assessment, the strike was suspended 15 days after.  The agreement particularly highlighted the need for increased funding of polytechnics.