Tension is running high at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) is set to bring all academic works to a halt.
This brewing protest by the Union is directly linked to a non-implementation of the minimum wage in staff pay slips.
It was gathered that the state government allegedly produced minimum wage tables without union input.
The Joint Council Unions, comprising ASUP, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), have kicked against it.
The Unions unanimously said that the 35% and 25% salary increments approved for staff of state-owned tertiary institutions have not been implemented.
However, most students of the institution expressed fears that the ongoing first semester examination may be truncated if the strike action commences as planned by the academic staff.
According to the resolutions from the Joint Council of Unions congress, Akwa Ibom state Polytechnic held recently at ASUP auditorium , the unions demands among others that the state government should approve three domestic servants for staff on CONTEDISS 13/CONPCASS 07, four domestic servants for staff on CONTEDISS 14/CONPCASS 08 and five domestic servants for staff on CONTEDISS 15/CONPCASS 09.
Other demands include separation of CONTEDISS table from CONPCASS table or the adoption of CONPCASS table in Akwa Ibom State owned tertiary institutions, 35 per and 25 per cents salary increment for staff of state owned tertiary institutions be implemented respectively.
However, ASUP chairman comrade Nyeneime Victor Raphael has frowned at the state government attitude of ignoring the union despite several letters sent through the Head of Service to address the problem all to no avail.
“On the 28th of January 2025, following the release of the new minimum wage tables by the Akwa Ibom State Government, the Joint Council of Unions chaired by our immediate past Chairman, Comr. Eteyen Uko, discovered numerous irregularities in the document.
” Without hesitation, we rejected those tables and communicated our position to His Excellency through the Head of Service.
Yet, that communication was ignored.”
She said throughout the process of minimum wage negotiations, the unions representing tertiary education sub-sector were completely sidelined.
“We were not consulted, and even when we submitted our input through the NLC Steering Committee and the Public Service Negotiating Council—our voices were ignored.
“Worse still, when we analyzed the released tables, it became painfully clear that the State Government had failed to apply the 35% and 25% salary increments approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission on the 14th of September, 2023.”