The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) may suspend its ongoing industrial action soon if ongoing discussions with the authorities yield positive results.
The secretary of the union, Margaret Jethro, said on Sunday that the teachers’ union is in talks with the FCT authorities and that certain resolutions have been reached.
She said the strike would continue “until the union sees the paperwork and signs the agreements per the resolutions reached.”
The resolutions were reached at a meeting with the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmud, Permanent Secretary for Education, FCT and five area council chairmen last Monday, she said.
“We have reached certain agreements, it is just the paperwork that is delaying the whole thing. So until it comes out, and we’re able to see it in black and white before we can agree that yes, this is the agreement we have reached and it is like that,” she said in a telephone interview with our reporter.
“So it is the paperwork that we’re still waiting for that is yet to be completed. Hopefully tomorrow, we’ll be there again to see if the whole thing is concluded before the union can take a position. But for now, the strike is still on.”
Ms Jethro did not disclose the specifics of the resolutions reached.
Earlier in September, the leadership of the teachers’ union directed members to embark on an indefinite strike to press home their demands which include the non-payment of the teachers’ entitlements.
According to a communiqué issued to announce the strike, the entitlement includes; non-payment of its members’ 25-month promotion arrears and 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
Others include the non-payment of outstanding allowances, non-upgrading of teachers, non-implementation of annual increments, and the non-implementation of promotion letters released to teachers.
In the communiqué jointly signed by the chairman FCT, NUT chapter, Stephen Knabayi; secretary, Margareth Jethro; and the Public Relations Officer, Samson Haruna, the union said the indefinite strike became necessary after exhausting all other available options of getting its members’ entitlements. (Premium Timnes)
