Lecturers Protest Unfair Pay Packages, Ground School In Ado-Ekiti

Students and workers of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti were denied access into the insitution on Tuesday after aggrieved members of the Academic Staff Uhion of Polytechnics (ASUP) protested alleged non payment of allowances and deductions by the management. 

Students who had commenced their Second Examinations on Monday were shutout of classes for hours as the placards carrying protesters blocked the main entrance into institution and sang solidarity songs.

Some inscriptions on the placards ” We are not slaves Pay Us Our Allowances ‘ Rector Stop Treating Us Like Slaves ”  Our  IGR Is Going To Private Pockets and so on

The aggrieved Lecturers maintained that academic activities shall continued to be disrupted until the management acceded to their demands.

They also blamed the management for allowing the matter to degenerate into protest when it allegedly had enough resources to offset  the outstanding allowances and deductions .

Addressing journalists, the Chairman of ASUP, Dr. Olabisi Olasehinde said the union embarked on the protest after all appeals to the management on the matter were allegedly ignored.

The Union Leader also frowned at the alleged attempt by the management to cause crisis within the union by allegedly effecting selective payment to members.

Olaseinde explained that the management is defaulting in the payment of Lecturers  Allowances in the Continue Education Center (CEC) Programme. He alleged that there were outstanding allowances for first semester, 2019/2020 academic session as well as the accumulated de-migration arrears and cooperative deductions.

He argued that the management had no excuse not to pay as the CEC as the institution was making enough money through the programme.

The ASUP boss said the union would ensure that the ongoing second semester examination for 2019/2020 did not continue until their demands were met.

However, the Rector, Dr Hepzhibah Oladebeye in a swift reaction dismissed the allegations claiming that the unionists were only out to blackmail him and to  also tarnish the image of the institution.

The Rector while speaking through, Adeyemi Adejolu, the institution’s spokesperson described the protest as unwarranted.

He disclosed that the Management had started paying the CEC claims since last week Friday, saying those who have not seen theirs might have issue with their respective banks.

On the issue of other allowances raised by the protesting Lecturers, Adejolu said it had long been cleared, alleging that the issue  was actually brought up to malign the Rector.