The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, Imo State Polytechnic Chapter, has concluded plans to embark on an indefinite strike over the state government’s refusal to pay 14 months’ salaries, enrol staff into the pension scheme, and the continued denial of impress to management staff by the school authority.
According to the union’s leadership, the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma has displayed clear neglect and disregard for their plight, improperly handling staff salaries and blocking all promotional benefits for workers.
In a press statement made available to journalists shortly after its quarterly congress, the union issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Imo State Government to comply with its demands or face industrial action.
The chairman of the union, J.C. Offurum, stated in the statement that all avenues for dialogue had been exhausted and threatened to proceed on strike if the government fails to meet their demands.
“It has become unbearable that we tilt towards an aggressive call for action as a means of drawing the attention of His Excellency to the chronic issues that have kept us behind realities in the scheme of things for many years. Several of our problems have become too chronic, though solvable with His Excellency’s approvals,” the release said.
The union identified the improper placement of staff as one of the key issues, describing it as an ongoing problem that has yet to be resolved.
“We sincerely draw the attention of His Excellency to this disadvantage, which is not just demoralising, but a cause of industrial disharmony. As it is, younger employees tend to earn more than long-serving employees with the same qualifications, and, in some cases, with lesser qualifications. Imagine a scenario where such variance affects authority.
“As a result of this, Imo State Polytechnic staff are seen wearing very moody faces, while others are smiling during the recent implementation of the New Minimum Wage Salary by the state government,” the statement added.
The union further condemned the government’s actions, which, according to them, aim to deny staff access to the pension scheme, contrary to previously reached agreements.
It stated that the non-enrolment of retired staff into the state pension scheme, to which they are entitled, is a major grievance.
“For this important denial, the majority of our retired colleagues are gasping out of want, while many have already passed away due to severe economic hardship and frustration. As a united front, we have done our best to address this scenario through various outreach efforts, including several submissions to the Governor’s Office, but all to no avail,” ASUP further stated.
The union chairman also highlighted the unfortunate non-payment of salaries for March and April 2018, as well as February 2020, noting that these payments appear to have been selectively disbursed to certain staff using unknown criteria.
“We have taken up this matter repeatedly, submitting the requisite documents to the state authorities, and yet here we are. One can only imagine the disadvantage we have suffered over the years. We are not comfortable that, once in a while, we are subjected to one form of deprivation or another,” he lamented.
The union, while demanding the immediate payment of omitted salaries, recalled that it has repeatedly pleaded for the resolution of this unwarranted issue, but nothing positive has been achieved.
The academic staff union further stated that it was not made aware of any punishment recommended by any committee regarding this matter.
“It is unheard of that some of our colleagues, amidst other challenges, have been without salaries for over the past 48 months, yet they continue to work and attend to their duties.”
The union also expressed frustration over the government’s continued delay in releasing members’ annual promotions and urged all relevant bodies to expedite the process.
It demanded that the annual promotion exercises for 2023 and 2024 be released without further delay, enabling staff to plan their professional growth, in line with practices at other institutions. The union noted that this issue is among several anomalies affecting staff.
The union reiterated its readiness to recover all unpaid imprest to academic administrators, emphasising that it will not permit a work environment where heads of departments, deans of school, and other administrators must rely on self-sponsorship to execute official duties.
It maintained that, despite these challenges, members have remained supportive of the governor’s educational initiatives for the state.
“However, the lack of commensurate reciprocity for our unflinching commitment to service has compelled us to employ this medium to request better attention, which, in turn, will be proportional to our inputs to duty, in line with the shared prosperity mantra of the state government,” the union maintained.