The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its two-week warning strike and directed its members nationwide to resume duties on Monday.
Chronicle NG reported that ASUP had embarked on a two-week strike on December 2 over neglect of the polytechnic education in Nigeria and other issues.
However, in a statement issued on December 12 and made accessible to journalists on Friday, ASUP National President Shammah Kpanja stated that the union suspended the strike after meeting with officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Kpanja stated that a memorandum of understanding was signed, with the stipulation that another meeting will be conducted on January 23, 2025, to finally resolve the industrial issue.
The ASUP president noted that the union’s National Executive Council will convene to examine the situation before the meeting with the government in January.
The statement reads, “The general public may recall that our union declared a two-week definite strike effective 2nd December 2024 over the inability of the government through its agencies to execute nine items in the work plan jointly developed with our union to resolve some pending issues of trade dispute.
“You will also recall that a strike was declared to serve as a warning and precursor to an indefinite strike.
“Within the period of the strike, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment convened a conciliation meeting between our union and the government on the 9th of December 2024 to resolve the dispute and save the sector from the impending indefinite strike.
“At the meeting, a new memorandum of understanding was signed with a caveat that another meeting will be held on 23rd January 2025 to assess compliance by parties as well as to address other issues.
“After this meeting, the union’s National Executive Council will meet to review the situation.
“In view of this development, all members of the Union are directed to resume duties from Monday, 16th December 2024.”