Kwara: ASUP ordered to picket Federal Poly Offa

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Federal Polytechnic Offa chapter, has been fixed afloat support to picket the instauration if the absorption proceeds with plans to halt the deduction of national check-off dues from May salaries of members.

The nationalist office of the national approved the action, according to a connection signed by the nationalist president of ASUP, Shammah Kpanja.

Chairman of ASUP, Offa Federal Polytechnic, Dr Idowu Atilola, successful a connection connected Friday, said: “This volition beryllium our union’s take-off constituent successful the struggle,” arsenic the section has been authorised to antagonistic this enactment of panic against our union.

“Regrettably, the Rector of the institution, Dr Kamoru Kadir, was a erstwhile ASUP president and statesmanlike aspirant successful ASUP. He shall beryllium served with the afloat dose of his prescriptions erstwhile helium held sway arsenic ASUP president successful the Federal Polytechnic, Offa.”

Dr Atilola vowed that ASUP volition not abdicate its historical work of ensuring bully governance successful the polytechnic system, adding: “We volition not beryllium intimidated retired of this work by the gang-up of a few, and truthful we volition beryllium confronting this menace with an equivalent absorption crossed campuses and nationally.”

The national alleged that the crippled to destabilise ASUP goes beyond the poorly thought-out presumption of the committee of Federal Polytechnic Rectors regarding national check-off dues deductions.

“We person received credible accusation of plans by the committee and immoderate idiosyncratic rectors to fund, sponsor, and facilitate unregistered and non-existent bodies arsenic splinter groups of ASUP.

“We are afloat briefed connected the fewer rectors down this plot, and we are definite that it volition fail, arsenic always.

“For clarity purposes, the Labour Act is unambiguous successful applicable sections, including but not constricted to the references made by the Rectors’ committee. Section 5 of the Act deals with deductions successful its antithetic forms.

“Section 5(3a, b) is precise wide connected the work of an leader to marque deductions and remittances successful favour of a registered Trade Union from the wages of eligible members of specified a Trade Union.

“We are truthful taken aback by the insistence of a assemblage similar the Rectors Committee, which is so an equivalent assemblage to the Vice-Chancellors successful the assemblage strategy and provosts from the colleges of education, to crushed successful this manner, if these different 2 bodies tin ne'er contemplate doing so,” said the ASUP nationalist chairman.

The union, therefore, asked the Rectors Committee of Federal Polytechnics to re-evaluate their continued beingness and justification for the deployment of scarce resources successful the Federal polytechnics to work the same.