Another setback looms in the nation’s education sector as members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) prepare to embark on a warning strike.
ASUP President, Anderson Ezeibe, made the announcement on Wednesday, two days after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) extended its ongoing strike which began in mid-February by another 12 weeks.
He stated that the polytechnic lecturers would withdraw their services in a two-week industrial action with effect from Monday next week.
Ezeibe explained that the decision was reached at the emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council to review the response of the Federal Government to its ultimatum.
He added that ASUP had suspended its initial strike in June 2021 following the signing of a Memorandum of Action (MoA) with the government which contained a clear path to a sustainable resolution of the issues in dispute with timelines attached to each of them.
The ASUP president said while the suspension of the industrial action was for a period of three months, the government refused to address the issues raised.
As a result, he stated, the union issues an ultimatum which expired on May 4, but the situation has remained the same with no concrete effort on the government’s part.
Ezeibe stressed that the warning strike was to appeal to Nigerians to prevail on the government to do the needful within the two weeks so as to avoid an indefinite shut down of the sector.