Yenagoa—The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Federal Polytechnic Ekowe Chapter in Bayelsa State has announced that it will be embarking on an indefinite strike action on Monday, 10th July 2023.
The union made this known in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting held on Friday, 7th July 2023.
The communique which was signed by its Chairman, Agada Franklin and Secretary General, Justin Ikirigo highlighted the non-implementation of 2018 promotion arrears, 2019 promotion arrears, 2020 promotion implementation and its arrears, 2021 promotion implementation and its arrears and 2022 promotion implementation and its arrears till date as some of its grievances.
Others are the 2023 implementation of annual step increments and its arrears from January 2023 till date, the agreed 2% academic allowance, imprest, infrastructural decay and running the institution from the liaison office after ten years of its establishment.
The communique also highlighted poor security on campus, unkempt working environment and poor power supply.
“In the light of the above observation, congress resolved that effective on Monday, 10th of July, 2023 the union shall embark on an indefinite strike,” the communique reads in part.
In a chat with our reporter after the meeting, Franklin noted that members of the union have exposed to all sorts of threats, intimidation and disciplinary actions by the institution’s management, in the discharge of their assigned duties.
He said, “Instead of encouragement, without providing the enabling working environment. Our members spend a large part of their salaries going to work on campus weekly, while the rest (including Management) work from the comfort of the liaison
office.
“Members are left to work with little or no imprest, very poor daily power supply on campus, an untidy and poorly protected working environment, including cost of transportation to work, feeding, excess work load, and overtime,
just to mention a few.”
He complained that the union is not pleased with the trend of provocative actions taken against its members who have given their all for the growth of the institution.
All efforts by our reporter to reach the Rector of the institution proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
