Teachers Threaten To Go On Strike

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Wednesday called on states that had yet to implement the Teachers Salary Allowance (TSA) to do so before the end of May.

The NUT National President, Mr. Michael Alogba-Olukoya, made the call in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said that failure of the states to pay could lead to an indefinite strike by the teachers.

Alogba-Olukoya spoke against the backdrop of the refusal of some state governments to implement the TSA which was aimed at motivating the teachers and making the profession more attractive.

The leadership of the union had in 2009 signed an agreement with state governments to pay teachers 27.5 percent of their salary as additional allowance.

“Let me seize this opportunity to once again appeal to all state governments yet to pay the 27.5 percent teachers allowance agreed upon, to do so immediately or face an indefinite teachers’ strike.

“As I speak with you, states that have actually implemented the agreement are not up to 10 and they are not doing so fully as we have some states paying as little as five, 10 and 15 percent, as against the 27.5 that was agreed upon.

“We would be having our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting when schools resume for the third term and before May 8, we shall be giving the ultimatum concerning the issue,” he said.

Alogba-Olukoya said that most of the state governments had hinged their inability to pay on the N18,000 minimum wage and insufficient fund.

According to him, the agreement was signed before the introduction of the N18,000 minimum wage and it would be unfair for the defaulting state governments to renege on the agreement using it as an excuse.

He said that the union should not be blamed if it was forced to go on strike.

“I feel bad that most of our governors, who themselves are products of the public schools, can be handling the welfare of teachers with such levity.

“Let me state that our quest to be among the leading world 20 economies might remain a dream if we fail to take the welfare of teachers seriously,” Alogba-Olukoya said.