Teachers in public primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), are embarking on a 5-day warning strike beginning today, 18 November 2021.
They are protesting over the non-payment of their promotion arrears.
Addressing newsmen at the end of an emergency meeting of the executive wing of the union in Gwagwalada, acting secretary of the union, Comrade Margareth I. Jethro, said the union had resolved to embark on the strike due to non-commitment and lack of political will by the six area councils’ chairmen to settle outstanding entitlements of LEA primary school teachers in the territory.
She said despite the previous ultimatum issued to the councils’ chairmen to settle the entitlements, including non-implementation of 2019 and 2020 promotions in some LEAs, they had refused to heed to the union’s calls.
She said the council chairmen have also refused to offset teachers’ promotion arrears from 2014 to 2018, and the 2020 and 2021 annual increments and upgrading of qualified teachers.
She also said the FCT administration had failed to pay 2016, 2017 and 2018 promotion arrears to secondary school teachers despite their earlier ultimatum.
Jethro warned that if the FCT administration and the six area councils’ chairmen failed to settle the outstanding entitlements within the five days’ period of the warning strike, teachers in the FCT would be forced to embark on indefinite strike.
Reacting, the chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council and FCT ALGON chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mustapha, said the six area councils’ chairmen had held meetings with the union three times and resolved to see how the payment of arrears from 2019 to date will start.
He said despite this move, the union still insist on the warning strike
“In fact, we have agreed to start the payment immediately and I personally communicated this to the state NUT chairman on phone,” he said.
