By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna
Another gloomy time is in the offing for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida in Niger State as academics at the institution have issued a four weeks ultimatum to authorities at the Polytechnic to harken to their demands or risk another season of strikes.
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP) said the institution should begin to shop for N72 million to pay all outstanding entitlements to it’s members or face industrial action.
ASUP Federal Polytechnic Bida branch Chairman, Dr. Umar Saganuwan said in an interview that members of the association have been on the issue with the management of the institution over a long period of time.
Dr. Saganuwan said members of the association have now been pushed to the wall as the lingering issues over their rightful entitlements may soon lead to a face-off between the management of the institution and his members if the authorities fail to do the needful.
He said members of the association in the institution would commence the industrial action after the expiration of the ultimatum by the first week of
April.
April.
He disclosed that members of the association have done everything reasonable in pursuing their rights adding that Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, his counterparts in the Ministries of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, and the ASUP National President, Usman Dutse had jointly signed the letter for the payment of the entitlements to the members of the association at the institution.
He lamented that despite the steps taken and the patience exercised by members of the association, authorities at the Federal Polytechnic Bida have not displayed good spirit to leverage on the windows availed by the trio of the Ministers and the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics.
He said haven waited for a long time and the management of the institution appears not ready to comply with the directives from the Ministers, the ASUP of the Federal Polytechnic Bida have no option than to embark on the strike to press home their demands as a right.
Dr. Sanganuwan regretted that though the letter from above directed that management of the Polytechnic should pay all the allowances including the backlog of arrears accrued over time, the management of the institution led by the Rector, only invited the executives of the association for an impromptu meeting during which time he told the association the position of the management of the institution on the legality or otherwise of some
of the allowances being demanded.
Dr. Umar Sanganuwan gave details of the monies owed academic members of the association to include “hazards allowance, academic allowance, peculiar and excess work allowances”.
of the allowances being demanded.
Dr. Umar Sanganuwan gave details of the monies owed academic members of the association to include “hazards allowance, academic allowance, peculiar and excess work allowances”.
He said having exhausted all peaceful avenues without avail, the union will embark on industrial strike on the 31st of March if the outstanding allowances were not paid on or before the fixed date.
“We are giving the authorities of the Polytechnic till the last day of the month of March to pay us or we
will shut down this school indefinitely”.
“We are giving the authorities of the Polytechnic till the last day of the month of March to pay us or we
will shut down this school indefinitely”.
Dr. Sanganuwan said that ASUP
was not going to accept further excuses being put forward by the management of the Polytechnic adding his members have discharged their own side of their duties and the institution must therefore discharge it’s own part of the responsibility by paying for services rendered.
was not going to accept further excuses being put forward by the management of the Polytechnic adding his members have discharged their own side of their duties and the institution must therefore discharge it’s own part of the responsibility by paying for services rendered.
Meanwhile, the Rector of the institution, Dr. Abubakar
Dzukogi has explained that the institution does not have enough resources to meet the N72 million outstanding allowances owed members of the Federal Polytechnic Bida branch ASUP.
Dzukogi has explained that the institution does not have enough resources to meet the N72 million outstanding allowances owed members of the Federal Polytechnic Bida branch ASUP.
The Rector however assured that the institution would pay the entitlements in trenches as the institution does not have the resources to pay the outstanding in one swoop. “We are going to stagger the payments in piece-meal so that it will be convenient for us to pay them and as well attend to other financial needs and settle other bills”.
He admitted that though the “federal government had asked the authorities of the institution to use part of school fees generated to settle the
arrears, but we need to use our discretion to strike a balance so that
the system does not collapse. So we resolved to pay from school fees
we collected for the 2017/2018 academic session”.
Dr. Dzukogi said that the school does not have such huge amount of money at the moment to pay the backlog at once because ”we have lots of other bills to pay”.
the system does not collapse. So we resolved to pay from school fees
we collected for the 2017/2018 academic session”.
Dr. Dzukogi said that the school does not have such huge amount of money at the moment to pay the backlog at once because ”we have lots of other bills to pay”.
He however pleaded with members of the association to show greater understanding rather down their tools as they were planning to do.
