Teachers of primary schools and Government Secondary Schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), will embark on a five-day warning strike from Thursday over non-payment of their promotion arrears.
Addressing journalists at the end of an emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting of the Union at the Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada, on Wednesday, acting secretary of the NUT, Comrade Margareth Jethro, said the union resolved to embark on the strike due to non-commitment and lack of political will by the six area council chairmen to settle outstanding entitlements of LEA primary school teachers in the FCT.
Jethro said despite various ultimatums issued to the six area council chairmen to settle the outstanding entitlements of the teachers, they have refused to heed the union’s call to pay teachers’ entitlements, which she said included non-implementation of 2019 and 2020 promotion arrears in some LEAs.
According to her, the council chairmen have also refused to offset teachers’ promotion arrears from 2014 to 2018, non-implementation of 2020 and 2021 annual increments, and upgrading of qualified teachers.
She also said the FCT Administration has failed to pay 2016, 2017, and 2018 promotion arrears to the secondary school teachers in the FCT despite the ultimatum issued.
“Having deliberated exhaustively, on the issues, at stake, the SWEC in the session was saddened at the non commitment of the area council chairmen and the management of the FCT administration to the settlements of the FCT teachers outstanding entitlements and therefore resolved to embark on a five-day warning strike with effect from Thursday, 18, November 2021,” she said.
Jethro added that the failure of the FCT Administration and the six area council chairmen to settle the outstanding entitlements of FCT teachers within five days period of the warning strike, the union will have no other option than to declare an indefinite strike to press home their demands.
When contacted, the chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Alhaji Adamu Mustapha, who is also the FCT ALGON chairman, did not pick calls or reply to text messages sent to him.
