The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has summoned parties to the industrial dispute that left the Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, in Bayelsa shut since July 11 to a meeting on September 29.

On Saturday, the chairmen and secretaries of the three unions at the polytechnic, along with the rector and the governing council chair, are expected to attend the meeting.

The invited unions are the Non-academic Staff Union, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) in the polytechnic.

The meeting follows a joint petition to the minister over the suspension of a governing council meeting to resolve the labour dispute on the grounds of insecurity.

The workers in the petition submitted that the claim of insecurity was a ploy to avert a pending probe of allegations by the rector, as there was no security threat in Bayelsa to warrant suspension, given that the council members were already in town for the meeting.

The unions at the polytechnic had said that only the suspension, pending investigation of the rector, Agbabiaka Lukman, will guarantee industrial harmony at the institution.

The workers had kept the institution under lock for alleged violation of the Polytechnic Act by the rector, who had taken the three unions to court over labour disputes, whereas the governing council was statutorily mandated under the Act to handle labour-related matters.

When contacted for an update on the face-off, Nimizuo Pereseigha, the polytechnic’s public relations officer, declined to comment.

(NAN)