The management of The Polytechnic, Ibadan has appealed to the striking workers of the institution to return to work and pave way for further negotiations.
The appeal is contained in a statement issued by the institution’s Registrar, Mrs Modupe Fawale, and made available to Nigerian NewsDirect on Monday in Ibadan.
The workers had, on Monday, commenced an indefinite strike to press home their demand for the implementation of the new national minimum wage introduced by the Federal Government in 2019.
According to her, “This strike is premature and will inflict a lot of damage on the activities of the institution, most especially the ongoing first semester examination which had suffered series of postponements.
“The management wishes to appeal to the striking workers to return to the negotiation table with the government, as the strike will only put more strain on the activities of the institution,” she said.
Fawale appealed to the striking unions to unlock all the gates leading to the institution, as there were lots of stakeholders who would suffer from the action.
“Many stakeholders, with intent to visit the institution for transactions, will not be able to gain access, while the staff members residing within the polytechnic and their families will also suffer untold hardship.
“The health facilities, by this action, will also not be available to the staffers, most especially those residing within the institution.
“This strike, in all ramifications, may be counter-productive and thus, further negotiations should be explored,” she said.