By Amos Tauna
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Kaduna Polytechnic, has resumed an indefinite industrial action, shutting down all academic activities in the institution.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of the union, Abbas Muhammad, explained that the return to an earlier suspended strike by the union last Tuesday became inevitable following a unanimous Congress decision by the academic staff of the institution demanding the management of the institution to immediately address their demands.
The statement added that the teachers’ latest agitation followed the failure of the school’s management to resolve the many contentious issues for which an earlier strike was suspended on 18th July, 2017.
Some of the issues in contention, according to the statement include, poor working conditions, irregular academic calendar and routine lack of consumables for laboratory practical, even when such is a component of the students school fees.
Others are, inadequate amenities and conveniences, lack of recreational facilities, inadequate offices and furniture and the perennial lack of transparency in withholding of funds related to staff allowances.
The latest face-off between the academic Union and the Kaduna Polytechnic management is coming on the heels of an emergency Congress which was presided over by the body’s General Secretary who is holding forth as Acting Chairman, Talatu Raiya Umar, from which members of the body resolved to suspend all academic activities, with a passionate call on the government, general public and all stakeholders to prevail on the management to do the needful so as to ensure a timely resolution of the problems.
