The Nigeria Union of Teachers has issued a dire ultimatum, declaring their intention to initiate an indefinite strike in Bayelsa’s public primary and secondary schools. The root cause of this impending strike centers on the long-standing issues of the N30,000 minimum wage and unresolved promotion arrears.
According to a report from the News Agency of Nigeria, this decision was reached during an executive meeting held on October 12. This move comes on the heels of an earlier three-day warning strike that failed to motivate the Bayelsa Government to take any substantive action.
To set the stage for this decision, the teachers initially presented a 14-day ultimatum to both the government and local councils. Their demand was straightforward: address the grievances of teachers throughout the state or brace for the looming specter of industrial action.
The grievances, according to the NUT, include the inability of both state and local governments to implement the N30,000 minimum wage and effect promotion of primary school teachers in the state.
The union said teachers were meted with untold hardships due to the non-payment of promotion arrears to the teachers.
NUT expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s continuous negligence of the plight of teachers who played critical roles in the state, in spite of engaging them at different fora in futility.
The union said the attitude of the government had brought nothing but humiliation and frustration to primary and secondary school teachers in the state.
It said the 14-day ultimatum took effect from, October 13 after failure to address the issues within the limit of the ultimatum would force teachers in the state to go on strike.
The strike notice was ratified by the constituent eight local government branches of NUT in Bayelsa.
Signatories to the communique after the meeting included chairmen of LG branches of the union.
Meanwhile, Dr Gentle Emelah, Bayelsa Commissioner for Education, declined comments when contacted as he did not respond to telephone calls and messages requesting the government’s clarification.
NAN reports that schools in Bayelsa had vacated on August 29 due to an expected flood and are slated to resume on November 13.
