Striking Kadpoly lectures demand full allowances

The academic staff union of Kaduna Polytechnic embarked on an indefinite strike on 31st December, 2016; can you tell us the reason for the strike? We are on strike over what we describe as misappropriation of N260 million and non-payment of five months peculiar academic and hazard allowance arrears. Following the resolution of ASUP congress […]

The academic staff union of Kaduna Polytechnic embarked on an indefinite strike on 31st December, 2016; can you tell us the reason for the strike?

We are on strike over what we describe as misappropriation of N260 million and non-payment of five months peculiar academic and hazard allowance arrears. Following the resolution of ASUP congress meeting held on Friday we agreed that the level irregularities in Kaduna Polytechnic is alarming. For now, the congress resolved that we will not call off the strike until the five months arrears of peculiar academic and hazard allowance are paid.

We are also demanding that any official found guilty misappropriating funds be brought to book. The situation in Kaduna Polytechnic is dire and the time to act is now and ASUP, which is a pressure group, usually shortchanged alongside the student would remain the voice of the people. Public funds is for infrastructure and educational development of our dear institution,

 

 

Can you be a bit more specific on the reasons that led to the declaration of strike?

What led to the declaration of the indefinite strike include the following; non-payment of peculiar academic and hazard allowance arrears after the sum of N173, 979, 898.00 was paid to the management of Kadpoly in March and N86, 989,949.00 in May, 2016.

The December 2015 salary was paid in 4 installments of 24.9%, 25.1%, 25% and 25% respectively over a period of two months and N67m of December 2015 salary is yet to be fully paid in terms of cooperative deductions, tax remittances, church and mosques deductions, etc. I want to use this medium to call on the federal government to take a decisive action before the situation becomes uncontrollable as very soon, the wintry of despondency that has held us captive in Kaduna Polytechnic must give way to new freedom where sweat would be the product of pleasure not toil.

 

 

 

 

 

You have been on strike for over week now and the strike continues to hurt the institution. What is the position now? Would you consider dialogue?

The position now is that we are on strike until the money is paid. The federal government gave N260 million to be paid to academic staff and the polytechnic management refused to pay that money. We found out that the money had been paid since May 2016 and they did not pay. So when we got the details of that money, we presented the paper to the polytechnic management and they said they will start paying.

 

 

Have they started paying?

Yes, they have paid for three months; that is after we commenced the strike. We still have outstanding two months and the congress decided that the strike will not be called off until the remaining two months is paid, that is the situation now. If they do not pay in 10 years, we will still wait. If the government did not have a clue that the money had not been paid, they would not have started paying us even with the strike action.