FCT LEA Teachers Resume Strike Over Unpaid Arrears

Teachers of the Local Education Authority (LEA) primary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have resumed their suspended strike over non-payment of their minimum wage arrears and other entitlements by the six area council chairmen in the territory.

Chairman of the state wing of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the FCT, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Shafas, while addressing journalists at the end of the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held at Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada, late Tuesday night, said the resumption of the strike was due to the non-response of the six area council chairmen to the 14 days ultimatum issued to them.

Shafas said despite the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike’s intervention to pay 40 per cent of the total sum of the 25 months minimum wage arrears to the primary school teachers, the six area council chairmen have refused to pay the remaining 60 per cent of the 25 months minimum wage arrears as promised.

He added that the six area council chairmen have also failed to implement and pay the 25 and 35 per cent salary increase of the teachers, implementation and payment of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance as well as the payment of arrears of the wage award of the teachers.

According to him, the council chairmen have also failed to correct and continue with the implementation of the template on the outstanding arrears of the teachers as agreed in 2022.

“Having exhaustively deliberated on issues at stake, the SWEC- in session therefore resolved and directed all the primary school teachers in the FCT to resume the suspended strike with effect from Wednesday, 18, September 2024.

“The union, therefore, directed all the public primary in the FCT to remain closed, while parents are advised to remain guided by the development until the teachers’ demands are met,” he said.

The chairman of the Kwali area council, who is also the ALGON chairman in the FCT, Danladi Chiya, neither picked up calls nor replied to text messages sent to him for reaction over the union’s demands.