THE face-off between the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the management of the Kaduna Polytechnic (KADPOLY) worsened recently, as the institutions Governing Council announced the proscription of the union. The Governing Council has also threatened to apply the no work, no pay rule in its dealings with the striking lecturers, henceforth. But lecturers have insisted that they would not call off the strike in spite of the proscription order and threats by the institutions management to stop their salaries.The institutions branch of ASUP had embarked on a fresh strike since January 28, shortly after resuming from an earlier three-month industrial action which lasted from June to September 2010.The union is accusing the Governing Council and the management of the institution of alleged financial mismanagement and corruption, which it claimed had led to the decay of the infrastructure and the lowering of academic standard of the polytechnic. However, the institution, in a statement signed by the Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Alhaji Mamoon Abubakar, said that following the striking lecturers refusal to heed the appeals and entreaties by well meaning Nigerians, it was constrained to invoke the provision of Section 7 (1) of the 2004 Federal Polytechnics Act, by proscribing the activities of the ASUP within its campusesBesides, the institutions Council also said that it had directed that attendance registers be opened for the lecturers at the college and departmental levels, adding that only lecturers whose names were recorded as having been performing their duties would be eligible for payment of salaries in line with extant labour laws on no work, no pay.The two-page statement reads: The Kaduna Polytechnic Governing Council, at its special plenary session held on the 3rd April, 2011 critically reviewed the strike action embarked upon by all staff unions. Council in its deliberation noted the efforts and appeal made by the Kaduna State Government, the Emir of Zazzau, the Honourable Minister of Education and officials of the Federal Ministry of Labour towards resolving the impasse. Council further noted that all appeals and entreaties were rebuffed by ASUP, including outright rejection to honour invitation sent by the Council in February 2011.The continued closure, besides its debilitating effect on the academic activities of the institution, has denied and muzzled Nigerian citizens access to education. We cannot prepare students for JAMB examination in June, we collected monies from preliminary students and cannot offer service. Furthermore, many working class students need their certificates for promotion and admission of HND students has not been done. In effect, over 130 days had been lost to the senseless and meaningless strike action from June to September, 2010 and 28th January, 2010 to date.Council, relying on the provision of Section 7 (1), of the Federal Polytechnics Act 2004 which provides inter alia Council has the power to do anything which, in its opinion, is calculated to facilitate the carrying out of academic activities of the Polytechnic and promote its best interest, resolved to proscribe the activities of Kaduna Polytechnic Academic Staff Union (ASUP).Council, in arriving at the painful but necessary decision, was informed by the fact that the local chapter of the union had not obtained the consent of the national leadership and the national body had completely dissociated itself from the illegal action.In a swift reaction, the Chairman of the KADPOLY branch of ASUP, Alhaji Mustapha Yahaya stressed that the lecturers would disregard the proscription order by the polytechnics Governing Council, which he argued lacked the powers to carry out such an action. Yahaya also said that the lecturers had vowed that none of them would sign the attendance register, adding that they would rather continue with the ongoing strike until the report of the Federal Government Visitation panel to the institution on the matter was released.The ASUP scribe told The Guardian that the union would soon come out on the next line of action. He accused the management and the Council of the institution of financial recklessness, restating the demands of the lecturers for the sack of the leadership of the KADPOLY.He said: We are disregarding the proscription order because they do not have the powers to do that. Everything is already on the table of the Federal Government. The Visitation Panel has been here; we are awaiting its report. The proscription order is a case of a drowning man. We are disregarding the signing of the register. Nobody has signed it this morning. We are awaiting the report of the Federal Government Visitation panel on the matter.
Click here to read full news..
