LOOMING STRIKE: PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS GIVE ENUGU STATE GOVT 7 DAY ULTIMATUM TO PAY MINIMUM WAGE

Reporter : CHUKWUBUIKE MADU

Primary school teachers in Enugu State have given the State Government a seven day ultimatum to pay them the thirty-thousand naira minimum wage or face industrial action. The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the State, Comrade Theophilus Nweke-Odo, announced this while speaking with journalists in Enugu.

Comrade Nweke-Odo wondered why primary school teachers would be discriminated against in the implementation of the new minimum wage in the State, which others started enjoying eight months ago.

“From history it has never happened, even from the old East Central State down to Anambra State, (when Enugu was still in Anambra State), there has never been a time some state workers will be paid a certain amount of money as minimum wage and others will be left out. So it is highly unfortunate and our teachers in primary school sector are not happy about that.

“And normally in this state, they don’t pay arrears of salary. So that’s why we are loosing confidence in the promise they are making, we see them as empty promises,”  Comrade Nweke Odo lamented.

The NUT State Chairman explained that months of negotiations with the government to pay the affected teachers had not yielded any positive result, noting that the earlier twenty-one day ultimatum given to the government on the issue had expired.

“The 21 days ultimatum expired into the lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic because since February till now is about eight months. And we have to give them another 7 days ultimatum, starting from the 2nd of October. 7 days will expire by 9th of this month, that’s by Friday.                           

“Since the first ultimatum, we have been into negotiations and phone call interactions and yet nothing happened.

“They said they wanted to go into verification to ascertain the authentic number of teachers they have. They have finished with that.

“They now came up to say that they have to set up a technical committee just after we served them the 7 day ultimatum. So from all indications the government is not willing to pay the minimum wage to primary school teachers,” the NUT Chairman insisted.

The NUT State Chairman used the opportunity to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for accenting the bill that approved a new salary structure for teachers and extended their service year by five more years. He expressed the hope that such approvals would be implemented at the state level.

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