By Michael Oche
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has dragged the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu to the National Human Rights Commission, over backlog of unpaid salaries to its members at the Abia State polytechnic
The union in a letter addressed to the executive secretary of the commission, said its members at the State- owned polytechnic are owed up to 20 months of unpaid wages.
In the letter which was signed by the national president of ASUP, Comrade Anderson Ezeibe, the union explained that all the teaching staff in the Polytechnic are owed salaries from July 2018 to October, 2019; and from March 2020 till July 2020.
The union lamented that several entreaties to the institution’s management, governing council and the government of Abia State to pay the accrued salaries have not yielded any result.
Ezeibe said since the COVID -19 pandemic started in Nigeria in March 2020, members of the union have not received any salary and have been living in serious discomfort as no form of palliative has been extended to them.
The union further urged the commission to compel the state government and the management of the polytechnic to pay the workers, so as not to allow the situation degenerate further as the members’ rights to adequate health care, shelter and food have equally been violated.
The letter reads in part “We are compelled to bring to the attention of the commission the refusal of the Abia State Government (Proprietor of the Institution), the governing council and management of the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba to honor its contractual obligations to our members in the institution for a cumulative period of twenty (20) months”.
“Our members in this Institution covering all teaching staff of the Polytechnic are owed salaries from July 2018 to October, 2019; and from March 2020 till July 2020. This is despite several entreaties to the Institution’s Management, Governing Council and the Government of Abia State to pay the accrued salaries.
”It is noteworthy to point out that since the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria in March 2020, the members have not received any salary and have been living in serious discomfort as no form of palliative has been extended to them.
“Our union sees this development as a violation of the fundamental rights of our members in Abia State Polytechnic, Aba particularly as it affects their right to just and favorable conditions of work guaranteed by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
“This development also undermines our members’ rights to life and the dignity of the human person clearly captured in Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and by extension has also adversely affected their dependents access to same rights.
“It is our view that this situation should not be allowed to degenerate further as our members rights to adequate health care, shelter and food have equally been violated by the activities of the Abia State Government of Nigeria, and Abia State Polytechnic, Aba.
“We therefore pray the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission in the direction of compelling the Abia State Government and the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba to release the twenty (20) months owed salaries of our members; and to ensure forthwith the regular payment of salaries of these staff in line with the terms of their engagement.”
