….ASUP declares Academic Board meeting null and void.
By Francisca Manela.
Academic activities in Federal Polytechnic Mubi in Adamawa State have been shut down totally as the strike declared by Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has commenced in earnest on Monday.
Lecturers have down tools and the campus looks deserted following the declaration of the industrial dispute by the union due to the inability of the management of the institution to meet the demands of ASUP.
The strike action was heightened following a collapsed dialogue between the union and the management on Friday which ended in a deadlock.
With the present situation, ASUP quickly advised parents not to risk their children back to the institution due to tension on the campus.
Among the demands as contained in a press release signed by the leadership of the union are:
non-implementation of arrears, victimization of union Executives and members through unlawful termination of appointments, tactical reduction of check-off dues by the Bursar, denial of promotions, non-inclusion of union representatives in all Polytechnic committees and above all, the non-inclusion of the union’s members in Academic Board which contravened Polytechnic Act 2019.
The management of Federal Polytechnic Mubi in an attempt to discuss the burning demands raised by ASUP summoned Board meeting on Monday 19th October 2020.
The ASUP had earlier declared the Board illegal on the ground that it was dysfunctional, not inaugurated and the management denied the union’s representation which is allient to any federal Polytechnic.
“The Union has learnt of the convocation of the Academic Board meeting for the consideration of the re-opening of the school and that of the revised Academic calendar. This action of the management is not only regrettable but also an insult to the entire Academic Staff of this institution, while the union is not against the convocation of the Academic Board, the union frowns at the continuation of the blatant abuse of the Polytechnic Act borrowing a leaf from the unfortunate tenure of Dr.Sadiq A.Yahya.”
The statement added “the position of the Academic representation on the Board is not negotiable, the decision of the Board without the input of our representative is null and void, more so, now that the union has declared a trade dispute”
With this position, ASUP has declared that there is no Academic Board on ground presently and the union will not recognize any decision taken by the so-called board because it has representatives of Academic Staff as provided for in the new Polytechnic Act.
For the safety of students on campus, ASUP asked parents not to allow their children back to the institution due to looming strike action.
The effort to get in touch with the management proved abortive as a non-returns call made to them.
