The Joint Action Committee of staff unions at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, Kaduna State, has issued a two-week ultimatum to the state government to meet its demands or face industrial action.
The unions are calling for the implementation of an updated salary structure for both academic and non-academic staff, as well as enforcing a 65-year retirement age for non-academic staff in line with statutory provisions for state and federal polytechnics.
At a press briefing in Zaria on Friday, Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, Committee Chairman and Branch Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), lamented the institution’s obsolete equipment and poor infrastructure. He stated that staff salaries are currently based on the outdated Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Scale (CONTISS) which has been obsolete since 2012.
Suleiman explained that the union had requested the state government to replace CONTISS with the Consolidated Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS). He noted that during a meeting with Governor Uba Sani on 17 December 2024, a promise was made to implement the change in the first quarter of 2025, but no action has been taken.
Having exhausted available options, the unions set the ultimatum period from 31 May to 13 June. Suleiman warned that if no progress is made by 13 June, a one-week warning strike will commence from 16 to 20 June, followed by an indefinite strike.
Also Read: SSANU, NASU Reject FG’s N50bn Disbursement FormulaÂ
Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, recalled that salary improvement has been a long-standing issue since 2009 with no tangible outcome, despite several agreements and claims of funding shortages.
He noted that the polytechnic’s staff strength is just over 900, but the recent recruitment of 500 new staff indicates an improved financial position, strengthening their demands.
Lecturer Hamdan Elisha described the situation as dire, revealing some lecturers take home as little as N64,000 monthly, which contributes to difficulties in retaining staff.
