FCT Primary School Teachers Resume Strike Monday

The Federal Capital Territory Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers has ordered primary school teachers to resume their suspended strike on Monday, January 15, 2024, until further notice.

This was contained in a communique dated January 12, 2024, after an emergency meeting of the State Wing Standing Committee.

The communique was co-signed by the chairman of the NUT in the FCT, Abdullahi Shafas, the  Secretary, Mrs Margaret Jethro and the Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye.

The SWSC also encouraged secondary school teachers to join the strike from January 22, if the demands of the primary school teachers were not met before January 19, 2024.

The union had earlier gone on an indefinite strike action on September 11, 2023, to demand the implementation of a 40% peculiar allowance, and payment of 25 months minimum age arrears, among other arrears.

The NUT said that despite suspending the strike for six weeks, which expired on November 7, 2023, “nothing positive has taken place”, adding that the SWSC had no choice but to order the resumption of the strike, after the failure of the minister and the area council chairmen to attend to their demands.

The communique partly read, “We are concerned that a series of meetings have taken place, but the primary school teachers remain in a pathetic situation and continue to bear the brunt of the high cost of living attributable to the removal of fuel subsidies without succour from anywhere.

“Saddened by the suffering of the Teachers and the un-willingness of the area council chairmen to pay the teachers these aforementioned entitlements, including the delay in the minister’s intervention, the State Wing Standing Committee in – Session has no other option than to direct all primary school teachers in the FCT to resume the suspended strike to further press home her demands. The strike will take effect from Monday, January 15, 2024.

“The SWSC-on-Session equally resolved that if the outstanding demands of the primary school teachers are not paid before Friday, January 19, 2024, all secondary school teachers in FCT will join in solidarity with effect from Monday, January 22, 2024 – an injury to one is an injury to all.”

Consequently, the union urged parents to keep their children in primary schools at home from Monday.