Non-teaching staff in polytechnics across the nation, who were formerly members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions, NASU, have said they pulled out of the union to form the Non-teaching Staff Union of Polytechnics, NOTSUP, because NASU never represented their interest well.
The National President of NOTSUP, Comrade Shaba Nakorji, stated this during the inauguration of the Yaba College of Technology, Yabatech, leadership of NOTSUP.
“NASU is more or less a conglomerate. There are over 20 different groups in it. We have universities, polytechnics, colleges and even research institutes and others in it.
“This is because it is for educational and allied institutions. It is not a polytechnic-based staff union. Also, because of its unwieldy composition, it never represented the interest of polytechnic workers well.
“The academic staff union for polytechnic workers, ASUP, was formerly part of Polytechnic Staff Association, POSA, they pulled out and the same for senior non-teaching staff, SSANIP, they were part of another body before they formed SSANIP.
”Therefore, there is no offence in it for us to form our own union that will take care of our interests. We have since been registered as a trade union by the Federal Ministry of Labour.
“We have also secured the recognition of the Federal Ministry of Education among other government agencies. Even the labour centre was one before TUC pulled out from the NLC,” he stated.
Nakorji emphasised that the welfare of members is paramount to the leadership of NOTSUP, and that it has branches across the country, as well as zonal leaderships.
He charged the Yabatech Branch leadership to accord respect to the management of the institution and to back up their demands from the management with facts and evidence.
The Branch Chairman, Comrade Adebayo Sanusi, gave the assurance that his team would not betray the confidence reposed in them by members.
In his message, the Rector, Dr Ibrahim Abdul, who had earlier met with the leaders of the union in his office, stated that the welfare of workers has been taken as a top priority of his administration and wished the union well in its endeavours.
Eagleonline
