The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has rejected the revised Schemes of Service for Nigerian polytechnics prepared by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) at a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
The National President of the union, Philip Ogunsipe, disclosed in a statement released on Thursday that the rejection was formally contained in a minority report submitted to the Minister of Education, Dr. Moruf Alausa.
SSANIP said the revised scheme was rejected because it introduced sharp disparities between teaching and non-teaching staff at the entry points of employment.
According to the association, the new scheme would stifle career progression for non-teaching staff, as it prevents officers with first degrees from advancing to CONTEDISS 15, which is equivalent to Grade Level 17.
Ogunsipe said:
“Documentary evidence from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, which confirmed the existence of the CONTEDISS 15 salary structure, as well as similar documents from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, were outrightly ignored at the meeting despite their relevance to the issue.”
The union also faulted comments attributed to the Chairman of the Committee of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology of Nigeria, who reportedly said that “rectors and a section of non-teaching staff could not retire on the same grade levels.”
Ogunsipe described the remark as demeaning, elitist, discriminatory and contrary to public service rules.
He said that by submitting the minority report, the association had passed a vote of no confidence in the ability of the NBTE to produce a fair and acceptable scheme of service for polytechnics, citing what it described as persistent bias and disregard for existing public service regulations.
The association appealed to the Minister of Education to examine its protest objectively in the interest of equity, industrial harmony and strict compliance with established public service norms.
Ogunsipe expressed confidence in the minister’s leadership, describing him as a dispassionate public servant, and said that considering SSANIP’s position would ensure that benefits enjoyed in the university and colleges of education systems are not denied to polytechnic workers.
The union also rejected the decision taken at the stakeholders’ meeting to remove the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation from the preparation and approval of the schemes of service, stressing that it would not support the move, which it described as counterproductive.
Elijah Adeyemi
