Polytechnic lecturers suspend strike

• Signs MOU with a caveat that another meeting would be held on January 23, 2025, to end the industrial dispute finally
  

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The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics has suspended its two-week warning strike and directed its members nationwide to resume duties on Monday.

WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that the union had embarked on a two-week strike on December 2 over neglect of the polytechnics education in Nigeria and other issues.

However, in a statement dated December 12 and made available to newsmen on Friday, the ASUP National President, Shammah Kpanja, said the union suspended the strike following a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Kpanja said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with a caveat that another meeting would be held on January 23, 2025, to end the industrial dispute finally.

The ASUP president stated that the union’s National Executive Council will meet to review the situation ahead of the meeting with the government in January.

The statement reads, “The general public may recall that our union declared a two-week definite strike effective 2nd December 2024 over the inability of government through its agencies to execute nine items in the work plan jointly developed with our Union to resolve some pending issues of trade dispute.

“You will also recall that a strike was declared to serve as a warning and precursor to an indefinite strike.

“Within the period of the strike, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment convened a conciliation meeting between our Union and the government on the 9th of December 2024 to resolve the dispute and save the sector from the impending indefinite strike.

“At the meeting, a new memorandum of understanding was signed with a caveat that another meeting will be held on 23rd January 2025 to assess compliance by parties as well as to address other issues.

“After this meeting, the union’s National Executive Council will meet to review the situation.

“In view of this development, all members of the Union are directed to resume duties from Monday 16th December 2024.”