The Joint Action Committee of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Ogun State has demanded the implementation of N77000 new minimum wage as approved by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The union wondered why the polytechnic workers in the state have not been allowed to enjoy the new minimum wage, two months after the government began its implementation for other civil servants in the state.
ASUP has equally decried the obvious neglect and poor funding of polytechnic education in the state.
The union in no unmistakable terms condemned the unwillingness of the state government to increase the N5m monthly subvention the polytechnics in the state have been receiving for about 15 years despite the vagaries of the economy including the galloping inflation among others.
The Zonal Coordinator, ASUP Zone C, Nurudeen Masopa, which comprises the South-West region disclosed this during the briefing held on Thursday at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta.
In attendance at the briefing were the union chairmen from the six government-owned Polytechnics.
These include Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa, Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu Igbo, D S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, Ogun State ICT Polytechnic, Saapade as well as Ogun State Polytechnic of Allied Health and Sciences.
Masopa said that it is constitutionally the duty of the proprietor of the polytechnics to ensure that these institutions are properly funded.
He said it was regrettable that the state government has not done well in this area saying that what has been the saving grace for the institutions is periodic interventions from Tetfund.
Maso explained that “Part of what has proved to be inimical to the progress of polytechnic education in Ogun State is inadequate funding.
“Ideally, the responsibility of funding tertiary institutions lies on the proprietors. This is not the case in Ogun State Polytechnics.
“It is worthy of mentioning that most Polytechnics in Ogun State are enjoying the sum of N5,000,000 only as monthly subvention which is grossly inadequate in the face of current economic realities.
“There is also non-implementation of payment of the new minimum wage in all Ogun State-owned Polytechnics contrary to its approval by the Federal and state governments.
“Another challenge is equally the non-implementation of the 25%/35% salary increment as approved by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in Ogun state-owned Polytechnics and the continued withholding of arrears since January 2023.
Other things highlighted against the government include non-implementation of CONTISS 15 migration for about a decade, non-domestication of Federal Polytechnic Act 2019 as amended and its selective implementation in the state, lack of concern for the welfare of staff as exemplified by the exclusion in the implementation of peculiar allowance among others.
The union leader disclosed that the national ongoing two-week strike of the union which began on December 2 is hinged on the failure of the National Board of Technical Education to work with timelines agreed upon at a tripartite meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Education on reviewing of the contentious Scheme of Service recently released by the board.
He said that other grievances of the union against the government include violation of the provisions of the Federal Polytechnic Act (as amended 2019) in the appointment processes at the Federal Polytechnic Nekede and Federal Polytechnic Wanune, failure to release the 2023 NEEDS Assessment intervention funds among others.
Masopa said that if after the two weeks warning strike the government is not showing any commitment, the union will meet and decide on the next line of action.
He said, “In the light of the highlighted issues, and in line with the ultimatum given by the National Executive Council of the Union, the congresses of our unions in Ogun state chapters of ASUP hereby reiterate the resolution of ASUP, NEC at the 112th meeting.”
