BREAKING NEWS: ASUP/FG Failed To Come To An Agreement, Strike Goes On

The meeting took place in Abuja in the evening of March 12, 2014, Wednesday, and was initiated by the Supervising Minister of Education Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The National Publicity Secretary of ASUP, Clement Chirman, expressed pessimism, noted that government’s attitude towards the strike does not leave space for the immediate resolution of the crisis.

“The minister called ASUP for a meeting in his office with our representative. So we left our NEC meeting and came all the way to Abuja for the meeting yesterday (Wednesday),” Mr Chirman, who was at the meeting, said.

The ASUP-NEC meeting was underway in Yandev, Benue State, parallel with ASUP/FG talks. It started on March 10 and would continue till March 15, 2014, Saturday.

“Federal Government has offered nothing other than their former position and ASUP is not accepting that. We see the strike prolonging.

“As a union we have tried to ensure the strike ends and normal academic session is restored but to no avail. Let me say that this is a strange approach by the government to end a serious matter. We have returned this morning back to Yandev to continue with our NEC meeting,” Mr Chirman concluded.

ASUP and FG had several rounds of unsuccessful talks since the nationwide strike had began in October 2013.
It would be noted that the polytechnic lecturers’ demands go further beyond personal monetary issues. They include proper funding of polytechnics and an end to the discrimination of polytechnic graduates in the labour market.