polytechnic lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) have suspended their two-week strike after reaching a new agreement with the federal government.
The union directed its members to resume work across the country immediately.
In a statement signed by ASUP President, Shammah Kpanja over the weekend in Abuja, ASUP explained that the decision to suspend the strike followed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached at a conciliation meeting with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment on December 9 2024.
The statement read: “Members of the Union and indeed the general public may recall that our Union declared a two-week definite strike effective December 2 2024 over the inability of the 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 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 December 9 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 January 23, 2025, to assess compliance by parties as well as to address other issues.
‘’After this meeting, the Union’s National Executive Council will review the situation. Given this development, all members of the Union are directed to resume duties from Monday, December 16, 2024”.
“While we thank and commend our members for their commitment and resilience, it is our Union’s expected hope that the government will diligently work to ensure a fruitful resolution of the issues in dispute.”
