Teachers Minimum Wage: NUT Gives FCT One Week Ultimatum Over Solidarity Strike
The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has predicted a show down with the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) government unless it resolves the agitation of the Local Education Authority (LEA) teachers in the territory that have been on strike since Monday, 12th October, 2020, for the payment based on the National Minimum Wage or risk a solidarity strike from 9th November, 2020.
The Abuja wing of the union said: “From Monday, 2-11-2020, if there is no response, the secondary schools will join the primary school teachers from Monday 9th November 2020 in a 3 days warning solidarity strike from 9th to 11th November.”
Rising from FCT wing executive council emergency meeting on 30th October, 2020, at Teachers House, Gwagwalada on the update on true LEA teachers’ minimum wage, the union would meet again to take further decisions on the matter, a statement by the branch’s publicity secretary Haruna Samson, made available to This Nigeria at the weekend, warned.
“The meeting reviewed the on going strike for the agitation of the payment of the new minimum wage. The chairman commended the primary school teachers, the state officers, the ANCOPSS, AOPSHON, the branch exco for their total unflinching support during the strike,” said the branch spokesman even as he lamented”there is no official communication from the government of FCT on what they are doing or will do about the teachers demand.”
He added: “The meeting considered adding a new dimension to the strike by leveraging on the maxim of the union’s (policy) ‘an injury to one is an injury to all.’ Our secondary school teachers will join us in a solidarity strike. It was resolved that a communiqué will be issued to the FCT government at the end of today’s meeting stating that the FCT government will be given a week ultimatum from Monday, 2nd November, 2020.”
Efforts to reach Anthony Ogunleye, the spokesman of the Minister of FCT, for comments on the issue proved futile as at press time yesterday.
