ISAAC JOB, UYO
Primary and secondary teachers in Akwa Ibom public schools have commenced strike as government had allegedly failed to resolve issues with them . The teachers had earlier made a nine points demands from the government through the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT .
A statement by the Senior State Secretary of NUT , comrade Victor Amirinze , said the Union had declared an indefinite strike action against the government of Akwa Ibom State with effect from midnight of Tuesday 15th 2022 The Trumpet gathered.
The statement reads in part: “ The NUT hereby orders all primary and secondary schools teachers in public schools to proceed on an indefinite strike action.”
The contentious demands include: Akwa Ibom State Government teachers’ amnesty programme should be reopened to cover the teachers that were cut off during the last amnesty programme , the appointment of teachers as Permanent Secretaries as well as promotion of teachers who had attended interviews as at 2020 without recourse to a pass in the Administrative Professional Officers Compulsory Examination.
Other demands include, Refund of seven percent contributory pension to primary school teachers, Payment of gratuity/harmonisation of pension to retired teachers and payment of a nine leave grant to primary school teachers.
They are also demanding for the payment of promotion arrears for six years from 2011 to 2016 to primary schools teachers; and the release of 2017 and 2018 promotion exercise conducted by SUBEB and immediate commencement of 2019, 2020, 2021 promotion exercise among others.
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Justifying the strike, the union claimed that the state government could not address the demands of the teachers after 21 days and a subsequent seven day ultimatum given by the union to the government.
They said government promise of payment of one year leave on compassionate ground and completion of payment of one month minimum wage arrears to primary school teachers could not be actualised.
The union appealed to both parents and pupils for understanding as the government’s insensitivity to the teachers’ plight has pushed them to call out teachers for strike.
