Lecturers at The Polytechnic, Ibadan (TPI) have shunned the nationwide industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
On Tuesday, the union had declared an indefinite strike to demand the implementation of a new salary scheme for polytechnic lecturers.
Some of the demands include the implementation of a new salary scale for polytechnic lecturers and payment of salaries and allowances to lecturers owed by some state governments.
Lecturers at the polytechnic in Ibadan, however, said that they were not part of the ongoing nationwide industrial action called by the national body of ASUP.
A NAN reporter, who visited the institution, observed that normal academic activities were going on, with students seen in their various classes receiving lectures.
Biodun Akere, one of the lecturers, said the school calendar was still running, adding that students had been receiving lectures unhindered since the commencement of the second semester of 2019/2020 academic session.
“Our students and lecturers are on campus, with normal academic activities going on unhindered,” Akere said.
“We are not complying with the industrial action declared by ASUP because our local branch doesn’t have any leadership as at present.”
Another lecturer, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said the institution’s chapter of ASUP had been without leadership since 2017, adding that it accounted for the non-compliance with the national body’s directive.
On his part, Soladoye Adewole, public relations officer of the polytechnic, said the institution’s lecturers were not on strike and that normal academic activities were going on unabated.
“Our lecturers are not on strike. We are running the semester as it should go,” he said.
It was gathered that the polytechnic branch of ASUP was proscribed by management during the tenure of Olatunde Fawole as the rector due to allegations of violation of electoral rules.
The face-off resulted in the polytechnic instituting legal action against the union under the chairmanship of Ajadi Keleani, with the case still pending in the court.
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