By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
In an effort to press home their demands and make the federal and state governments clear all backlogs of arrears of salaries owed the polytechnic staff across the country, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, SSANIP, the umbrella body of polytechnic lecturers across the country, on Monday called out its members to down tools for 14 days to enable government at all levels defray all indebtedness to its members in connection with the minimum wage.
A release signed by the Acting National Secretary of SSANIP, Comrade Emmanuel Enyiegor, and and made available to CompassNG in Calabar, polytechnic staff are directed to proceed on strike.
Part of SSANIP’s reasons for proceeding on the warning strike is the constant neglect of the association’s demands by both federal and state governments, inspite of several efforts by members of the association to give government soft landing.
The release stated, “This is to bring to the attention of all the members that the General Executive Council had on December 17, 2020, approved the commencement of 14-day warning strike with effect from January 4, 2021.
“Members are by this notice directed to refrain from going to office from Monday January 4, 2021.
“We demand the immediate re-evaluation and implementation of NEEDS assessment report and release of funds for the Polytechnic sector without further delay.
“We demand the complete payment of salaries and arrears of minimum wage for staff in the polytechnic sector starting from the period of implementation in April 2019.
“We demand for the release of scheme of service for polytechnics immediately. This has been put on hold by the National Board for Technical Education for three years without any concrete explanation.”
SSANIP expressed displeasure over the nonchalant attitude of governments of Benue, Cross River, Abia, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Kano states for refusing to pay the exact outstanding salaries owed the Polytechnics/Colleges of Health staff.
It added, “The union decries the nonchalant attitude of the Integrated Personal Payroll Information System to issues of SSANIP as regards salaries of members.
Vowing that they would not return to work until their demands are met, the aggrieved staff said,
“We demand the constitution of governing councils in all federal and state polytechnics.”
