Teachers of public primary schools across Oyo State, on Monday, commenced an indefinite strike action to protest the delay in payment of their salaries and backlogs of arrears owed by the state government.
The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State wing, Comrade Samson Adedoyin, while speaking with reporters in Ibadan, said that the strike action became necessary due to the inability of the state government to meet the demands of the union.
The union had, last week, issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Oyo state government to clear and settle the arrears.
NUT listed issues worrying its members to include non-implementation of the approval and accompany promotion benefits to the primary school teachers by the Oyo State Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC).
Others are delay in payment of salary to primary school teachers, delay in the promotion of grade level 14 to 15, continued withholding of 2018 leave grant and delay in the clearance of teachers allegedly accused of illegal promotion.
The NUT acknowledged that its leadership met with the state Head of Service and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs on May 15 during which both government functionaries made passionate appeal to them to shelve the proposed strike.
Our correspondent said pupils in Ibadan, the state capital, were sent out this morning by the teachers in conformity with the industrial action as most of the gates of the schools visited on Monday were shut against the pupils.
The schools included Sasa Community Primary School, Alegongo primary school, Akobo and Methodist Primary School, NTA Road, Agodi.
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