FCT: Primary school teachers embark on indefinite strike over wage disputes

Primary school teachers under the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT Wing have embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid entitlements and other unresolved industrial issues.

The Union announced that it has directed all primary school teachers in the Territory to resume the suspended strike action starting Wednesday.

This was revealed in a communiqué signed by the State (FCT) Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Shafa, and issued at the end of the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT Wing at the FCT teachers’ house, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The communiqué stated that all public primary schools in the FCT are to remain closed until the Union’s demands are met.

It reads, “We appeal to all teachers to remain calm and disregard any counter directives except as directed by the Union.

“The SWEC-in-session acknowledged and applauded the efforts of the Honourable Minister of FCT, His Excellency, Barrister Nyesom E. Wike (CON), for his intervention and payment of 40% of the total sum of 25 months’ Minimum Wage Arrears to the primary school teachers

“However, the SWEC-in-session noted with great displeasure the non-response of the Council Chairmen to the fourteen-day ultimatum issued to them, nor did they address the industrial issues raised.

“Payment of the remaining 60% of the 25 months’ minimum wage arrears; implementation and payment of arrears of the 25% and 35% salary increase; implementation and payment of arrears of the 40% peculiar allowance; payment of arrears of the N35,000 wage award; and correct and continuous implementation of the template on outstanding entitlements of the teachers as agreed in 2022.”

Reacting to the development, the Secretary of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB), Dr. Hassan Sule, appealed to the NUT to suspend the strike until all avenues have been exhausted, as discussions with the leadership of the six Area Councils are still ongoing.

Sule, who is the acting Chairman of the Board, said, “I just finished talking to the FCT ALGON chairman and the NUT chairman now.

“We sat down with the NUT and ALGON chairmen, and we resolved that they are going to compute how much the outstanding payment is now, so that the ALGON chairman can officially request intervention.

“But perhaps the timeframe they gave, which the ALGON chairman is complaining is too short, hasn’t allowed them to finish the computation yet. They asked for more time to complete the process.

“Likely, we will be meeting on Friday, based on what I discussed with the ALGON Chairman now.”