Don't Miss


Home   >   Business   >   Industries   >   Education   >   NUT threatens strike over non payment of minimum wage

NUT threatens strike over non payment of minimum wage

By on April 19, 2013

THE Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Thursday, gave notice of the intention of its members to embark on strike from June 1, this year to protest the alleged refusal of 18 state governments in the country to pay teachers the N18,000 minimum wage as well as their 27.5 percent enhancement allowance.

National President of the union, Michael Alogba-Olukoya, said the NUT was also opposed to the scrapping of the National Examination Council, NECO, as well as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, by the Federal Government.

However, on the minimum wage, the union said the affected states include Benue, Cross River, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Ekiti, Osun and Ogun. Others are Oyo, Edo, Nassarawa, Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba, Borno, Kogi, Niger and Sokoto.

Alogba-Olukoya who spoke at the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the union in Asaba, the Delta State capital, noted that the NUT had observed “the increasing frustration and reluctance of some state governments in some cases to pay the 27.5 percent Teachers Enhance Allowance, TEA, as well as the refusal to pay the N18,000 minimum wage,” adding that “it is the resolute opinion of NEC that such states must have resolved to take the NUT for a ride, while holding in contempt, the authorities of the Federal Government through its relevant ministries.”

Alogba-Olukoya then said that the NUT decided to commence a stay-at-home strike in the affected states if affected governments failed to implement the N18,000 minimum wage as well as pay the TEA with effect from the June 1.

He warned that the state wings of the NUT would not be allowed to call off the strike once started until their demands were met.

The NUT, however, urged its state branches to abide by the decision instead of embarking on strike before the new deadline.

On teachers’ minimum qualification, the union further said it was committed to the provisions of the National Policy on Education which prescribes Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE, as the minimum teaching qualification in the country.

 

 

[Vanguard]