The industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in Ogun State-owned polytechnics entered its third day on Friday, with the union urging the state government to urgently address outstanding issues concerning the implementation of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Earned Academic Allowance.
The union said the failure of the state government to satisfactorily resolve the issues, despite previous engagements and the expiration of an ultimatum, left its members with no option but to embark on the strike to protect their legitimate interests and welfare.
ASUP, in a statement issued on Friday, expressed concern over what it described as the government’s failure to address matters affecting the welfare, motivation and professional dignity of academic staff in the state’s tertiary institutions.
The union maintained that the industrial action was not sudden, stressing that it had made several efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue before resorting to the strike.
The lecturers said, “This industrial action did not arise suddenly or without warning. The union had consistently engaged relevant authorities and provided the Ogun State Government with the opportunity to resolve these issues through dialogue. Unfortunately, the expiration of the ultimatum without a satisfactory resolution necessitated the commencement of the strike.
“The union considers it unfortunate that a state with Ogun’s reputation for educational development would allow issues affecting the welfare, motivation and professional dignity of its academic workforce to degenerate into an industrial dispute.”
ASUP insisted that its demands were neither unreasonable nor intended to disrupt the administration of the institutions, but were legitimate concerns requiring urgent government attention.
It emphasised that the welfare of academic staff remained critical to the delivery of quality education, research, innovation and sustainable development.
“A motivated academic workforce remains indispensable to quality teaching, research, innovation and sustainable development,” the union stated.
As part of efforts to end the dispute, ASUP called on the state government to demonstrate genuine commitment to resolving the outstanding issues surrounding CATA and EAA.
It also demanded immediate and meaningful engagement with its leadership to facilitate an amicable resolution and the restoration of industrial harmony across the state-owned polytechnics.
The union further urged the government to take concrete steps towards addressing the concerns of academic staff, warning that continued inaction could worsen the situation and undermine confidence in the state’s tertiary education system.
While acknowledging the potential consequences of the strike for students, parents and the academic calendar, ASUP said it remained mindful of the disruption caused by industrial action.
It maintained that sustainable industrial peace could not be achieved at the expense of fairness, justice and workers’ welfare.
The union appealed to the Ogun State Government to demonstrate the political will and responsibility required to resolve the dispute without further delay.
It also reiterated its readiness to return to the negotiating table, provided the government approached the engagement with sincerity and a willingness to deliver concrete results.
“The Union remains open to constructive dialogue, but dialogue must be accompanied by sincerity, commitment and tangible results,” it said.
It would be recalled that the union in the state had recently called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to urgently address its outstanding demands, warning that the state-owned polytechnics could face an industrial crisis as the six remaining days of a 15-day ultimatum issued by the union’s national leadership ticked away.
The union also lamented the inadequate funding of polytechnic education, saying the government had refused to review the N5m monthly subvention given to some of the state-owned polytechnics for more than a decade.
The union, which raised the alarm at a joint press briefing held at the ASUP Secretariat, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, expressed displeasure over the state government’s failure to implement the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Earned Academic Allowance in the affected institutions.
The union had, among other demands, urged the government to pay the outstanding CATA and EAA allowances and to “immediately review and increase the monthly subvention of all the state-owned polytechnics to ₦100 million to reflect current economic realities and the operational needs of these institutions.”
The briefing was attended by ASUP representatives from various state-owned polytechnics, including Sogbesan Adebiyi of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori; Adepero Ogunkoya of Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa; and Abraham Ogunsanya of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade.
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