Saturday, 1 March 2014

ASUP strike: Prevail on your lecturers to accept offer – FG directs Governing Councils



The Federal Government on Friday, charged chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics to prevail on striking Polytechnic staff to accept the offer made by the government to end the ongoing strike.

The offer is payment of outstanding CONTISS 15 arrears in two installments for the immediate.

Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, stated this during a meeting with the Chairmen of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics in Abuja.

He said that the Federal Government’s offer also applies to striking Federal Colleges of Education staff and the Government is committed to pay CONTISS 15 in two instalments in March, and November, 2014.


According to him, “The two installments of the payment of the arrears to both Federal Polytechnics and Colleges stands at over N40billion, with the Federal Government ready to pay in March and November 2014.

“At our exhaustive meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, we agreed on the two installmental payment of the CONTISS 15. We have since raised a memo to the President to this effect. I took the risk of committing government because we are deeply worried over the prolonged strike.

“Thereafter, ASUP wrote to inform us that they have rejected this offer. Please, as chairmen of Polytechnic Governing Councils, we ask that you communicate our commitment to adhering to the schedule of payment. All the processes are on and we are committed to resolving the strike action”.

Wike expressed Federal Government’s concern about the Polytechnic students’ continued stay at home, assuring that the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation is already concluding work on the release of the agreed White Paper.

No comments: