Primary school teachers on strike since October in Benue

Primary School teachers have been on strike since October in the central Nigerian state of Benue.

The teachers are agitating for the payment of minimum wage of N18,000 (about $110) in force in Nigeria since 2011.

However, Governor Gabriel Suswam has said he is cash-strapped and can’t pay the money and wants the state workers agree to a 10 per cent cut is salaries. The workers have snubbed the proposal.

To arm-twist the workers, the governor has threatened to reduce the state’s workforce by 40 per cent.

The governor made the threat while addressing Ukum Local Government indigenes at Zaki-Biam, Benue.

Suswam regretted that the workers refused to sacrifice 10 per cent of their salaries to be able to pay primary school teachers who had been on strike since October, 2013.

According to him, since the workers have refused to make the sacrifice, I have no option than to retrench workers who are redundant.

“As I speak now, the compilation of those to be sacked is going on in Makurdi,” he said

The governor appealed to workers during the 2014 May Day celebration to sacrifice 10 per cent of their take home pay to enable him pay teachers who had been protesting the non-payment of their minimum wage.

The workers rejected the governor’s proposal and walked out on him at the venue of the workers day celebration in Makurdi.