Oyo teachers commence indefinite strike

Primary school teachers in Oyo State on Monday commenced an indefinite strike due to delay in payment of salaries of public primary school teachers and other requests.

The chairman Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Oyo State wing, Comrade Samson Adedoyin said that the strike became necessary due to the inability of the state government to meet demands of the union.

NUT had last week, issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Oyo state government to clear and settle the backlogs of salaries owed its members.

The union lamented over complementary allowances of promotions of the teachers.

NUT listed issues bothering its members as 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.

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It was however gathered the state government invited the leaders of the union to a parley on May 15 but no deal was reached.

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.

The union, however, stated that the appeal of the state government could not change anything because none of their demands was met.

Reports gathered 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 were shut against the pupils.

The schools included Sasa Community Primary School where pupils were seen sent back home by the teachers.

At Methodist N5 Primary School, NTA Road, Agodi, the gate of the school was shut against the pupils.

Adedoyin told newsmen the strike will not be called off until the government meets the demands of the primary school teachers in the state.

Adedoyin maintained that the strike action can only be called off when the government is ready.

He said: “It is when the government is ready to meet our demands. It all depends on the government.

“If the government is ready to meet our demands, we are ready to suspend the strike”