More than one week after the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, in Bayelsa State embarked on industrial action over their witheld June salary and non -remittance of union dues, the institution is still under lock and key, including the rector’s official residence.
On Saturday, the NASU leadership said that the institution would remain under lock until its four months union dues is settled.
The union had on July 11 shut down the institution over their withheld June salary and non-remmittance of four months union dues of its members.
The aggrieved workers locked up institution’s liaison office in Yenagoa, the main campus at Ekowe and the residence of the rector in Yenagoa.
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However, our correspondent learnt that the management of the polytechnic on Thursday, released the withheld June salary of NASU members but failed to remit outstanding union dues.
The management reportedly paid withheld June salary without remitting the union dues for the fourth month
Mr Etebu Ebifiye, NASU Chairman, in the polytechnic said on Saturday that the non-remmittance of union dues by the management was a breach of labour laws and unacceptable
Ebifiye said that the rector directed the payment of the withheld salary without remitting check-off dues for June in addition to January, February, March and April 2025 which triggered an industrial action in the institution.
He explained that although the Rector had called for truce to end the industrial action, only a reversal of the four months check-off dues will make the workers to shift grounds and unlock the institution.
“We have been occupying the polytechnic’s liaison office in Yenagoa since July 11. The Rector had tried in vain to use force to disperse us by making a false report that we are vandalising the Polythecnic’s facilities.
“Armed security men in four vans came to forcefully open the gates but when they saw no sign of vandalism, the left. We cannot resort to vandalising property left in our care. It is our property and we are poised to protect and not vandalise.
“We have occupied this place and kept vigil here and until the check-off dues is restored, we go nowhere. The Rector called me and I told him our stand. We are waiting for him to act and we unlock the gates,” the Labour leader insisted.
Ebifiye noted that NASU members were tacitly denied promotion as their appraisal forms were not endorsed.
He said: “The rector is not worker-friendly. He has sacked our members in NASU without regard to the labour procedures or due process.
“He directed all the Heads of Departments and the Deans that NASU members should not be appraised, a decision that affects the career progress of hundreds of our members
“As long as NASU members are excluded from the promotion , we will make sure that the promotion exercise doesn’t hold here,” Ebifiye said. .
When contacted, Mr Nimizuo Pereseigha, Public Relations Officer of, Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, said the Rector, Dr. Lukman Adegoke, was out of town and declined to comment on the labour dispute.
