TENSION AS YABATECH MAY JOIN ASUP STRIKE.

The lecturers at the Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH,
on Monday said they would protest on April 8, to sensitise the
public on the six-month-old strike by polytechnic lecturers
nationwide.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has been on
a nationwide strike since October last year.

Adeyemi Aromolaran, the Chairman of the Chapter, said in
Lagos that the protest was to draw attention to the Federal
Government’s lukewarm attitude to its demands.
He said the union was not bothered by the government’s `no
work, no pay’ directive, describing it as an old policy, which
would not yield any positive result.
“Majority of our members have vowed to continue with the
strike, in spite of the no work, no pay threat.
“We have been expecting such directive; it is the only weapon
that government always uses to frustrate union members,’’ he
said.
Aromolaran said, however, that while few members of the
union were afraid of the threat, adding that a majority of the
members were solidly in support of the struggle.
“We have been able to eliminate the fear from the mind of the
few members, and we will continue with the strike until our
demands are met,’’ he added.
The lecturer expressed the members’ readiness to surmount
any pressure from the government to discourage them from
carrying on with the strike.
“The threat will not yield any result for the government, as we
are determined to fight the battle to finish.
“This is not the first time such a directive will be issued; but in
the end, the government will still pay the money; so, what is
the need for the threat,’’ the chairman said.
He said the union would study the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) drafted by the Presidential Committee in
March, adding that the document would determine the union’s
next line of action with government.
“The document will decide our next line of action; the union
will study it and see if it is favourable to its members’ cause.
“The union will call a National Executive Council meeting by
the middle of April to take a stand; we cannot suspend the
strike without a NEC decision,’’ he said.
Aromolaran urged the government to consider the impact of
the lingering strike on the students, whose time was being
wasted by the lingering strike.
“Government should stop toying with the future of the
students; it is a sign of government’s insensitivity to
polytechnic education,