The Federal Capital Territory Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has suspended its three-week strike following the intervention of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The Union announced the suspension in a communiqué signed by its Chairman, Abdullahi Shafa, Secretary, Margaret Jetro, and Publicity Secretary, Ibukun Adekeye.
In the communiqué, issued in Abuja on Monday, after an emergency meeting of the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC), the union directed the striking teachers to resume work on October 8.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the primary school teachers had on September 18 downed tools over unresolved welfare issues, including peculiar allowance, minimum wage areas, and non-implementation of upward salary review.
The strike is a continuation of earlier ones suspended by the union in October 2023 and in January 2024. The union explained that the three-week-old strike was suspended following Wike’s intervention and payment of 40% of the 25-month 2019 minimum wage arrears.
The teachers added that the minister’s renewed commitment towards the settlement of the remaining 60% was also laudable. The Union particularly commended the minister for directing the FCT Treasury to immediately use the FCT 10% Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), accruals to the area councils to pay the 60%.
This, the teachers said, became necessary, following the failure of the councils’ chairmen to settle the 60% minimum wage arrears as agreed during previous meetings convened by the minister to resolve the lingering issue.
“Given the foregoing and the appeal of the minister for the suspension of the strike action, the SWEC in session considered the consistent and positive intervention of the minister.
“Following his renewed commitment to look into other demands of the teachers one after the other, the SWEC has resolved to suspend the ongoing strike by primary school teachers across the FCT with immediate effect.
“The SWEC in session, hereby, appealed to all primary school teachers in FCT to, with effect from Tuesday, October 8, 2024, return to the classrooms and continue with their legitimate duties.
“The Union will continue to intensify more effort in ensuring the settlement of all the outstanding entitlements and the improvement of teachers’ welfare,” the Union said.
The teachers further appealed to the minister to kindly take the necessary steps to ensure the implementation of the outstanding teachers’ entitlements immediately after the minimum wage arrears were settled.
The Union identified the outstanding entitlement as a 40% peculiar allowance, ₦35,000 wage award, and the 25% and 35% upward salary review.
“This will go a long way to avert another strike action,” the communiqué added.
NAN reports that Wike had, on September 26, threatened to use 10% IGR due to the six Area Councils of the FCT to settle the striking teachers’ entitlements.
The minister, who described the development as very unfortunate, had said: “I will not fold my hands and allow that to happen.
“No serious government will see their teachers stay at home and their children are suffering.
“I will not tolerate that; I won’t.”