» ASUP Strike 2014: ASUP Union Holds Crucial Meeting On Thursday, 12th June,

ASUP Strike 2014: ASUP Union Holds Crucial Meeting On Thursday, 12th June, 2014
Well, what else are we expecting if not the best?
According to latest news reaching our news desk
today, the national executives of the Academic Staff
Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, have scheduled an all-
important meeting on Thursday, the 12th of June,
2014, where the union will be sitting down to review
the ongoing strike and negotiations between the
union and the Federal Government.
Like most of us are already aware of, the Academic
staff union of Polytechnics, (ASUP) has been on strike
since the 4th of October 2013.
The union’s demand includes the following listed
below:
1. The need for the constitution of the Governing
Councils of Federal Polytechnics,
2. The migration of the lower cadres on the CONTISS 15
salary scale,
3. The release of the White Paper on the Visitations to
Federal Polytechnics,
4. The need for the commencement of the Needs
Assessment of Nigerian Polytechnics.
Faith, a Dailyschoolnews Nigeria correspondent, was
able to gather that recent negotiations have been
positive between the leadership of ASUP and the
federal government, and Thursday’s meeting would
enable the union’s negotiating team to brief its
executives, which means that if all goes well, the
Union will consider the federal government offer and
call of the 2014 asup strike legally.
According to a source among the ASUP management
board, disclosed that as he is not permitted to speak
on the matter, therefore plead anonymity, and said
that the meeting, which will hold in Abuja, will not
call off the strike, but would review the negotiations
between the two bodies.
The anonymous source, however, said the strike
would be called off very soon, as the negotiations
were more progressive as never before.
However, when we contacted the ASUP National
Publicity secretary, Clement Chirman, he also
confirmed the meeting, and here’s his exact words
which we decide to quote.
“We are meeting to appraise the level of negotiation
and to also decide on the next line of action,” he said.
The intervention of the House of Representatives in
the strike appears to have influenced the seeming
progress in negotiations.
A meeting was held at the National Assembly on May
27 between lecturers and the government delegation
led by the Education Minister, Nyesom Wike. The
meeting was facilitated by the House Committee on
Education.
At the meeting, Mr. Wike told attendees that the
major contention of the workers, which is their salary
arrears, was not being addressed because a
government agency had raised concerns.
He said the Salaries, Wages and Income Commission
was opposed to the payment of arrears owed the
lecturers, saying it was not consulted before the
2009 CONTISSS agreement between the lecturers
and the federal government was reached
You can read full details about the meeting by
CLICKING HERE