Tag: ASUP

Union demands payment of CONTISS 15 migration arrears

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has urged the Federal Government to conclude discussions on the renegotiation of ASUP/FGN agreement.

The union urged the government to act with sincerity and responsibility throughout the collective bargaining process.

It said the agreement remains central to achieving lasting industrial harmony in the polytechnic system.

ASUP appealed at its 18th national delegates’ conference (NDC) jointly hosted by Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin Ladi, and Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State.

Shammah Sunday Kpanja was elected the union’s President along with other national officers.

During the meeting, delegates unanimously called for the settlement of all Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS) 15 migration arrears owed to lower-cadre academic staff across institutions in the sector.

The union condemned the prolonged delay, describing it as unjust and demoralising while urging relevant authorities to treat this as a matter of priority.

ASUP also hailed the National Assembly for reintroducing the Bill to abolish the long-standing HND/BSc dichotomy.

The union urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the Bill when passed.

“The NDC underscored the need to end this discriminatory policy to promote fairness, strengthen national unity, and modernise Nigeria’s workforce,” the union said in its communique issued at the end of the meeting.

ASUP also urged the Federal Government to demonstrate renewed and genuine commitment to revitalising the polytechnic system.

The NDC emphasised that the future of technical and vocational education depended on sustained investment.

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It demanded the immediate release of approved funds for the second round of the NEEDS Assessment intervention and calls for transparent, equitable, and accountable disbursement to all eligible institutions.

The union also lamented the continued delay in the release of the revised Scheme of Service and Conditions of Service.

The union members maintained that the delay had eroded staff morale and impeded institutional growth.

It called for the immediate approval and implementation of the revised documents, which already reflected agreed standards.

Stating its position on promotion arrears and salary, ASUP urged all proprietors, especially state governments, to prioritise staff welfare by clearing all outstanding obligations, including promotion arrears, salary shortfalls, third-party deductions, and pension liabilities.

Acknowledging recent improvements in some institutions, delegates stressed that complete compliance remained the only acceptable standard.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) will not hesitate to down tools once the 21-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government to address its welfare concerns expires this week.

Addressing reporters on Wednesday at the emergency meeting of the Zonal Executive Council held at Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapde, Ogun State, ASUP Coordinator of Zone C, Comrade Adekunle Masopa disclosed that the National Executive Council of the union at an emergency meeting held on 14 August had issued a 21-day ultimatum to government and proprietors of public polytechnics and monotechnics in Nigeria on several issues affecting the sector and staffers within the sector. 

The Zonal Coordinator berated the Federal Government for failure to pay the 12 months arrears of salary review owed to staff in Federal polytechnics and monotechnics since 2023 and the non-implementation of the consequential salary adjustment and new minimum wage in state institutions.

He noted that the government has refused to reconstitute the committee to look into renegotiation of the ASUP/FGN 2010 Agreement,adding that the government has persistently refused to honour it after 15 years.

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Masopa added that continuity on the payment of Peculiar Academic Allowance (PAA) cannot be guaranteed since the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission could not perfect documentation on it by releasing the circular to enable capturing of the component in budgets of institutions within the sector.

He said efforts to address the situation by the union is being frustrated as the Federal Ministry of Education fails to do the needful.

He cited others issues yet to be resolved, including the non release of fund for the 2023 NEEDS Assessment Intervention,the refusal of the government to pay promotion arrears owed to workers in the polytechnics for many years, unresolved dichotomy against HND holders in public service despite the passage of Bill on removal of dichotomy by the National Assembly, among others.

“On the background of the issues highlighted and in furtherance to the resolution at the emergency NEC of our union held on 14 August,2025 in Abuja, the Zonal Executive Council (Zone C) hereby reiterate that our union will have no option than declaration of trade dispute and withdrawal of services of our members across chapters in public polytechnics and monotechnics in Nigeria,” he added.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed loan scheme for its members, describing it as a distraction from more pressing issues.

ASUP National President, Shammah Kpanja, stated this on Friday during a press conference held by ASUP Zone B in Bauchi. 

He expressed the union’s dissatisfaction with the government’s continued failure to address long-standing financial obligations despite several meetings with relevant agencies.

The union had earlier, at an emergency National Executive Council meeting on August 14 in Abuja, given the Federal Government a 21-day ultimatum to settle 12 months’ salary arrears and other unresolved demands or risk a nationwide strike.

Kpanja noted that the government’s recent response—a letter advising members to wait for the 2025 budget before payment of salary arrears—was unacceptable and contradictory to earlier commitments.

“Just two days before our last NEC meeting, the ministry sent a scanty letter claiming all our issues were being considered. But on the matter of our 25/35 percent salary arrears, they said we should wait until the 2025 budget is implemented,” he said.

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“We find this inappropriate. Even as a union, we keep track of national developments. It is only the capital component of the 2025 budget that is yet to be implemented. The National Assembly has already extended that aspect to December 2025, but it doesn’t affect personnel costs.”

He questioned the government’s priorities, noting, “If the 2025 budget hasn’t been implemented, where is the funding for loans coming from? You haven’t paid me what you owe, but you’re promising loans. That’s a contradiction.”

“Our position as a union is clear: settle all outstanding liabilities before offering us loans—especially when we weren’t even consulted on the scheme,” Kpanja added.

Despite the union’s dissatisfaction, the ASUP president confirmed that the Ministry of Education has extended an invitation for dialogue, expressing cautious optimism about the outcome. However, he noted that past resolutions were yet to be honoured by the government.

Earlier, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUP Zone B, Lumpye Innocent Simji, criticised the prolonged delay in granting polytechnics a dual mandate that would eliminate long-standing discrimination against holders of Higher National Diplomas (HNDs).

Simji also decried what he described as the Federal Ministry of Education’s lack of commitment to genuine dialogue and execution of previously agreed resolutions.

He warned that the union would not hesitate to withdraw services across public polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide if the government fails to act within the 21-day ultimatum.

“Our NEC has resolved that if nothing is done about this long list of unresolved issues, we will be left with no option but to declare a trade dispute and commence a nationwide industrial action,” he said.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has listed 13 demands it needs the Federal Government to address in order to prevent the closure of polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide.

The union, which issued a 21-day ultimatum to government, said failure to satisfactorily address the 13 demands, could lead to the withdrawal of services of its members across public polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide.

The union took the position at its National Executive Council meeting on Thursday in Abuja. 

Addressing reporters at the end of the NEC meeting, ASUP President, Shammah S. Kpanja said: “In view of the items listed and the non committal disposition of the FME in committing to genuine dialogue and lack of will to execute previous resolutions on some of the items, our Union’s NEC has resolved to issue a 21 days ultimatum to the Government to address the issues satisfactorily.

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“A failure to utilise this window may lead to the declaration of a trade dispute and withdrawal of services of our members across public polytechnics and monotechnics nationwide.”

The demands by the union include: non-release of circular by the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to cover the peculiar academic allowance; non-release of arrears of the 25/35% salary review/ non-implementation of same in state owned polytechnics; delay in granting a dual mandate structure for polytechnics; non-release of second round of NEEDS ASSESSMENT intervention; policy on outsourcing of quality assurance activities in polytechnics; refusal to implement sectoral components on the approved road map of the FME as it affects setting up a dedicated commission for the sector; non-release of promotion arrears/non-implementation of promotion in many state owned institutions and renegotiation of ASUP/FGN 2010 agreement.

Others are: refusal to domesticate of relevant portions of the Federal Polytechnics Act by state-owned polytechnics; sustained dichotomy against HND holders in the public service; stalled discussions on the release of CONTISS 15 arrears: militarisation of campus and undue continued intrusion in the activities of ASUP in Federal Polytechnic Nekede and refusal to convene the FME/ASUP rapid response meetings.

…may direct members to boycott work if the delay persists

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has expressed deep concern over the persistent delay in the payment of salaries to staff of federal tertiary institutions, describing the situation as unacceptable.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja and signed by its National President, Shammah Kpanja, the union attributed the delays to the ongoing transition from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS).

Kpanja condemned what he described as the “undeserved treatment being meted out to workers in tertiary institutions,” especially at a time when the country is grappling with severe economic hardship.

ASUP called on the federal government to urgently release the June salaries of affected workers, stressing that further delays would only deepen the financial strain on academic staff and disrupt the operations of the institutions.

The statement said, “Our Union has observed a trend in the delay in payment of staff salaries across Federal Tertiary Institutions in the country in the last eight months. This new trend of subjecting staff of these institutions to the mental torture of enduring indeterminate periods of uncertainty concerning the release of the severely devalued pittance now referred to as salaries coincides with the transition of the tertiary institutions from the IPPIS payment platform to the GIFMIS platform.

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“Role players in the responsibility chain have consistently placed the blame on the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, attributing the same to the delay in the funding of the different institutions for the salaries over these eight months. We have consistently complained formally to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation before now without the desired improvement, leaving staff of different Federal Polytechnics in distress at the end of each month.

“We are led to believe that the only plausible reason for this deliberate torture is the low value placed on the academic community by the government. This is because both payment platforms are hosted by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and it is expected that the transition between the payment platforms and using essentially the same payroll information will be smooth and flawless. Eight months is too long a trial period for the transition, and it is only a government that places low value on education that will treat staff of tertiary education institutions in this manner.

“Our union condemns this undeserved treatment being meted out to workers in the tertiary institutions, particularly in a difficult economy like ours. Workers in different tertiary institutions have been turned into beggars at the end of each month, with the worthless salaries only serving to service debts incurred in the course of each month. It is equally shameful that while the academic community is being punished with such penury, political leaders continue to entertain themselves in mindless opulence and power-grabbing activities for the next elections. This is unfortunate and symptomatic of a terminally sick nation.

“We hereby renew our calls for the release of June 2025 salaries to tertiary institutions in the country without any further delay and a departure from this new trend of delay in salary payments in the coming months. This call is made in the overall interest of the fragile industrial harmony in the tertiary education sector, particularly the Polytechnics, as no trade union will continue to watch its members go through these harrowing experiences every month as the government continues to undermine its contractual obligations to workers at the end of each month.

“Our union may be forced to direct its members to stay away from all affected Polytechnics if the situation does not improve in the coming days and sustain the same until the salaries are paid, while adopting the same pattern at the end of each month going forward.”

Polytechnic lecturers, under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), have expressed support for the creation of a National Polytechnics Commission to regulate polytechnics administration in the country.

ASUP said the Bill, sponsored by Idu Igariwey, is currently awaiting the final reading and passage at the House of Representatives after stakeholders had expressed their full support during a public hearing last August.

The union said the Bill would ensure improved regulation of polytechnics and aligns with the practice in the other two tertiary education sub-sectors in the country.

ASUP President Shammah Kpanja said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

The statement said: “We have been reading reports from different media outlets on the establishment of a Commission to regulate technical and vocational education in the country.

“This role is currently within the purview of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) established in 1977. Nigerian polytechnics (and monotechnics) represent the tertiary education institutions under the regulation of the NBTE.

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“With the exponential growth in the number and profile of polytechnics over the past four decades, as well as the explosion in the numbers of institutions under the regulatory regime of the NBTE, our union has been making demands (and rightfully so) for the establishment of a separate commission to regulate the tertiary education institutions found in the current mix of over 700 institutions under the NBTE.

“This will not only ensure improved regulation of these tertiary institutions but also align with the practice in the other two tertiary education sub-sectors in the country.

“We, therefore, threw our weight in support of the recent efforts of the National Assembly to establish a National Polytechnics Commission through a Bill in the House of Representatives (SB 673) sponsored by Idu Igariwey.

“This effort is coming after several failed legislative efforts in the past on the same subject.

“The Bill is currently awaiting its final reading and passage at the House of Representatives after stakeholders expressed their full support for the Bill during the public hearing in August 2024.

“More so, the Bill had the support of the Federal Ministry of Education as the establishment of the Commission is clearly captured in the approved Road Map for the Education sector covering 2024 to 2027.”