The non-teaching staff of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, on Thursday suspended its six-month-old strike following a decision by the union’s congress.
Mr Abiodun Awoyemi, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnic (SSANIP) LASPOTECH Chapter, confirmed the development.
Awoyemi said that the decision by the congress was sequel to the intervention of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“ SSANIP and the Non-academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (NASUP) LASPOTECH Chapter resolved at a joint congress on Wednesday July 17, to suspend the six-month-old strike.
“The decision is in response to the governor’s gesture of setting up a visitation panel to look into the long-standing crises,” he said.
According to Awoyemi, the governor has also directed that the four staff members that were disengaged during the union’s struggle should submit an appeal letter to the Polytechnic’s Governing Council.
He said the letter should be routed through the Head of Service with a view to re-engaging them.
Awoyemi said the joint congress of the union also resolved that no member should sign any attendance register upon resumption of work.
He said that this decision was against the management’s directive of last Monday that it would open a register for resuming staff to sign.
“The strike was officially suspended on Wednesday, July 17, and the staff was expected to resume work on Thursday, July 18,” he said.
The chairman said that the visitation panel was also expected to look into the issue of the arrested and arraigned 38 members of the union.
He said that it was also to look into other issues and resolve them.
Also, the Polytechnic’s spokesman, Mr Olanrewaju Kuye, confirmed to NAN that the unions had suspended its strike.
Kuye lauded Gov. Sanwo-Olu for wading into the matter.
He also said that Gov. Sanwo-Olu directed the sacked workers to write a letter of appeal for a review of their disengagement within the next seven days.
He said that the governor, however, warned the any aggrieved staff to desist from fomenting trouble, saying his administration would not hesitate to discipline any erring worker.
Kuye said the Polytechnic’s administrative block where the offices of the Rector and other management staff were located had been reopened.
He said that it was shut while the strike lasted.
“I resumed work since Monday following the governor’s intervention.
“We have ensured a thorough cleaning and fumigation of all the offices having been shut for almost six months.
“This was to prevent any worker from being attacked by any harmful animal or contacting any ailments,” he said.
NAN reports that the non-academic staff of the Polytechnic had since January 21 embarked on an industrial action over alleged wrong implementation of the Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure (CONTISS) 15 migration.
Also, they listed poor welfare conditions, harassment of both workers and students, as some of their grievances.
The development led to several protests and agitations by the staff and the student unions, which resulted in the disengagement from service of four staff.
Also, the police had, at about 1:30 a.m., on Thursday, July11, allegedly arrested 38 members of the union who were on a sit-out protest on the campus.
They were charged to the Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court and were remanded in prison before they could meet their bail conditions the following week’s Tuesday.