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), citing alleged discrimination against non-teaching staff.
The union’s National President, Mr Philip Ogunsipe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, following a recent stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja. According to him, SSANIP’s position was formally presented in a minority report submitted to the Minister of Education, Dr Moruf Alausa.
Ogunsipe said the association opposed the revised scheme because it introduced what it described as sharp disparities between teaching and non-teaching staff at entry levels, a development the union warned could undermine equity and industrial harmony in the polytechnic system.
He noted that the new scheme would hinder career progression for non-teaching staff, particularly those with first degrees, by preventing them from advancing to CONTEDISS 15, which is equivalent to Grade Level 17 in the public service.
The SSANIP president further alleged that documentary evidence from the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission confirming the existence of the CONTEDISS 15 salary structure, as well as supporting documents from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, were ignored during deliberations at the meeting.
Ogunsipe also criticised comments reportedly attributed to the Chairman of the Committee of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology of Nigeria, suggesting that rectors and some non-teaching staff should not retire on the same grade levels.
He described such remarks as demeaning, elitist and discriminatory, adding that they were inconsistent with established public service rules.
With the submission of the minority report, Ogunsipe said the association had passed a vote of no confidence in the NBTE, accusing the agency of persistent bias and disregard for extant public service regulations in the preparation of the revised scheme.
The union appealed to the Minister of Education to objectively review its protest in the interest of fairness, equity and industrial peace, expressing confidence in the minister’s capacity to address the matter dispassionately.
SSANIP also warned against the decision taken at the stakeholders’ meeting to exclude the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation from the preparation and approval of schemes of service, describing the move as counterproductive.
The association stressed that adopting its position would ensure that benefits enjoyed by staff in universities and colleges of education are not denied to their counterparts in polytechnics.
