31st January, 2017
Academic activities at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo came to a standstill on Tuesday as the seven-day warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) entered day two.
A news correspondent who visited the school premises, reports that lecture halls and offices were shut while some students were seen leaving the premises for their respective homes.
ASUP had commenced a seven-day nationwide strike on Monday, Jan. 30 to protest the non-implementation of its CONTISS 15 migration arrears, non-commencement of renegotiation of ASUP/Government agreement of 2010 and the delay in the review of the Federal Polytechnics Act, amongst other issues.
The union said it would not hesitate to embark on an indefinite strike if the Federal Government failed to yield to its demands.
The Chairman of Auchi Branch of ASUP, Mr Justin Momodu, said the branch had complied with the directive from the headquarters of the union to proceed on the warning strike.
Momodu said the strike was not peculiar to Auchi polytechnic as other institutions would join in to force the Federal Government to honour the mutual agreement.
“We are on one-week warning strike because the Federal Government has refused to meet our demands.
“Government has not demonstrated that it is prepared to honour its agreement with ASUP.
“We have demonstrated enough patience and if the government fails to meet our demands within these seven days, we will not hesitate to proceed on an indefinite strike,” he said.