The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP) has expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s decision to lay off some of its members and officials in the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu.

This was disclosed to newsmen by the National Publicity Secretary of the Union, Mr Chris Nkoro at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday. In what he described as victimisation of the members of the Union at the IMT in Enugu, Mr Chris Nkoro described the actions of the government as a mindless display of impunity.

He revealed that the Governing Council and Management of the IMT in Enugu dismissed five officials, suspended and also demoted another two members of the Union who were all working at the IMT in Enugu.

He also added that the Union is ready to embark on a nationwide strike over the baseless dismissal of its members.

Below is an extract of Mr Chris Nkoro’s statememnt to newsmen;

“The officials include the Chairman, General Secretary, Assistant General Secretary, Publicity Secretary and Financial Secretary of our union.

”Others are the Chairman and Secretary of the union’s strike monitoring committee in the last national strike of December 12, 2018, to February 12, 2019.

“The Prof. A.U. Nweze led Management of the institution had since January, been actively working to destabilise the union in IMT, withholding union check-off dues at the first instance and refusing to deduct and remit union check-off dues contrary to extant provisions of the Trade Union’s Act.

“This latest assault on the union is despite the subsistence of a suit NICN/EN/06/2019 properly served on the institution since February 2019 and pending before the National Industrial Court, Enugu, bordering on same act of victimisation against the union officials in the institution.

“We are shocked that in this dispensation, such display of crass impunity and disrespect for the judiciary is taking place in a higher institution of learning and reportedly before the institution’s legal adviser.”