Abia teachers embark on strike for unpaid arrears

Teachers of government primary and secondary schools in Abia State have embarked on indefinite strike.

The primary teachers, it was gathered, are demanding the payment of their TSS till date, while their secondary school counterparts are demanding 10 months unpaid salary arrears.

A teacher, who pleaded for anonymity, said the union decided to embark on the industrial action after attempts by the union to persuade the government to pay them failed.

Efforts to reach the leadership of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) were unsuccessful but chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chairman, Comrade Uchenna Obigwe, confirmed the strike.

Obigwe, however, said the governor, after a meeting with labour and NUT leaders, released N1,050,000 from the May FAC to pay some months of the accrued arrears.

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He said: “The leadership of NUT met on Friday to declare strike, but in the meeting that labour held with the governor and NUT on Sunday, we saw no need for the strike and they have been asked to play it down. Some teachers were paid for August last year; half of them were paid.

“But by Friday last week, N1,050,000, was released to clear the other half for August and pay all of them September and October. So the government looked at it that if N1,050,000 was released for teachers salaries from May FAC, a sacrifice had been done.

“A committee was set up to address other issues which they raised, and the government promised to be paying two months from June. So with that, the proposed strike seemed to have been collapsed.

“The kids went home on Monday but will come back to school on Thursday. The meeting held till 8:30 pm on Sunday and the outcome of the meeting would not have gone round, which was why the teachers didn’t come to school on Monday.”