25,000 teachers drag NUT, SUBEB to court over N50m salary deduction

Teachers in Benue State filed a suit before National Industrial Court over alleged illegal deduction of N50 million from their salaries.

In a suit filed by Tor Orseer Adembe, Akile Sonnen, Hir Daniel Mlu, Ugbah Dooshima, and Ieren Justine on behalf of the 25,000 teachers in all 23 local government areas of the state, the teachers named the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) and state chapter of the National Teachers Union (NUT) as co defendants

According to the them, the deductions were made from their salaries by SUBEB based on advice by the NUT for the purpose of hosting national chairman of the NUT.

Counsel to the teachers, Barr. Douglas Pepe, told the court that the NUT, had in October 2014 convened a general congress where the decision to make the said deduction was rejected by the teachers.

He said, despite that fact that the suggestion was rejected, the SUBEB and the NUT went ahead to effect the deduction.

They prayed the court to ask the defendants to refund the deducted money back to their respective accounts.

The NUT claimed that they were yet to be served the summon

Justice Rakia Haastrup adjourned the matter to the 29th of September.