ASUP strike continues next week.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) announced the decision to suspend the nationwide strike on July 16, 2013. Unfortunately, it has just been a pause. ASUP is gearing for another industrial action, which would commence after next week, and would be indefinite. The union made the appropriate statement on August 13, 2013, Tuesday during the mass protest to ‘save public education’ in Lagos. “The suspension of the strike will expire next week and up till now government has not done any single thing in the agreement,” said ChibuzoAsomugha, ASUP’s National President. After 81 days of inactivity in polytechnics across Nigeria, the union decided to suspend the strike following the level of progress made in negotiations with the government. ASUP said that it suspended the strike to allow the Senate Joint Committeeon Education to liaise with relevant government agencies with aview to tackling the union’s demands within onemonth. Among ASUP’s demands include the need for constitution of the GoverningCouncils of FederalPolytechnics; migration of the lower cadre to CONTISS 15 salary scale; and the “worrisome condition” of state-owned polytechnics in the country. “Government should stop paying lip service to public education,” said Mr. Asomugha. “The closer you get to this people in government, themore you lose hope.”