Tuesday 23 July 2013

JAF Declares Support for ASUU, ASUP & SSANIP Strike Actions


 Mobilises for NATIONAL PROTEST!  
Tuesday, July 16th 2013 
PRESS STATEMENT
1.    The Joint Action Front (JAF) held a General Meeting on Sunday, July 14th to discuss specifically the crises in the Education sector in the country, in view of the ongoing strikes by unions in tertiary institutions [Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and Senior Staff Association of Polytechnics (SSANIP)], which has led to the closure of the universities in the past two weeks, and the polytechnics for more than two months.
2.    The meeting took notice of the irresponsibility and insensitivity of the Federal Government and State Governments to the collapsing state of public education because all political office holders (executives and legislators) and civil service top functionaries at all levels of Government, have unhindered corruptive access to the looting of public fund, with which they sustain their children and cronies in private schools and universities in Nigeria and abroad. Hence, their callous disregard to the legitimate demands by ASUU, ASUP and SSANIP for the implementation of collective Agreements reached by Governments and Managements of tertiary institutions with the unions.
3.    JAF urges Nigerians and the international community to support the demands by the unions in the tertiary institutions, because the demands are patriotic and are based in the overall interest of the oppressed masses in the country, whose millions of children and wards, are being denied access to education.
4.    The core demands of ASUU are:
·         Failures by Government (Federal and State) to fund facilities and infrastructure in the universities,
·         Failure to IMPELEMENT the NEEDS Assessment Report on the standardization and effective running of the universities, and
·         Failure to pay legitimately earned allowances of the academic staffs”.
As for ASUP and SSANIP, their basic demands are:
·         “The continuing derogatory recognition of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as the regulatory body of Polytechnic education as against the agreed creation of a National Polytechnic Commission,
·         Non-Commencement of the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUP Agreements as contained in the signed Agreement,
·         Non-Reconstitution of the Governing Councils of the Federal Polytechnics,
·         Failure by the Federal Government to release the White Paper on the Visitations to the Polytechnics, and
·         Non-IMPLEMENTATION of the Agreement on migration of Polytechnic Staffs at lower grades on CONTISS 15 Salary scale, and  Failure by most State Governments to IMPLEMENT the approved Salary package (CONPCASS).
5.    JAF declares its TOTAL SUPPORT for the ongoing strike actions by ASUU, ASUP and SSANIP, and demand that the Federal Government and State Governments concerned in the management of the various tertiary institutions should IMPLEMENT without further delay the Agreements reached with the various unions.
6.    The Meeting resolved that the National leadership of JAF should commence mobilization of all stakeholders in the education sector at the primary, secondary and tertiary institution levels, including students, parents, and affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) and groups in the informal sector (artisans, traders, women, etc) towards a NATIONWIDE MASS PROTEST to save PUBLIC EDUCATION and ensure that the Federal and State Governments IMPLEMENT soonest Agreements reached with ASUU, ASUP, SSANIP.
7.    JAF will, after due consultation with all the stakeholders in the education sector, unfold the Programme of a sustained NATIONWIDE MASS PROTEST in order to ensure that the FG and State Governments not only accede to the legitimate demands of ASUU, ASUP and SSANIP but should accord funding of public education a fundamental human rights’ necessity.
FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER

DR. DIPO FASHINA                         COMRADE ABIODUN AREMU
JAF Chairperson                             JAF Secretary

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