The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has resolved the protracted labour dispute at the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
The minister convened a mediatory meeting on Sept. 29 with all parties involved in the dispute, which had forced the closure of the institution since July 11.
Correspondent learnt on Wednesday that after hearing from workers’ representatives and management, Alausa fixed Oct. 6 as the resumption date.
The meeting in Abuja was attended by the chairmen and secretaries of the three unions in the polytechnic, the Rector, and the Governing Council Chairman. The unions include the Non-Academic Staff Union, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
Correspondent also gathered that the minister directed the governing council to establish a new panel to investigate various allegations raised against the Rector, Dr Agbabiaka Lukman, with a three-week deadline to submit its findings.
It was reported that the meeting followed a joint petition to the minister after the suspension of a governing council meeting intended to resolve the crisis, allegedly on the grounds of insecurity.
The petitioners argued that the insecurity claim was merely a tactic to halt the probe of allegations against the Rector, stressing there was no security threat in Bayelsa when council members were already in town for the meeting.
The unions insisted that only the Rector’s suspension, pending investigation, would guarantee industrial harmony. They accused him of violating the Polytechnic Act by taking the three unions to court over labour disputes, despite the governing council’s statutory mandate to handle such matters.
When contacted for an update, Mr Nimizuo Pereseigha, Public Relations Officer of the institution, declined to comment.
(NAN)