Teachers of government primary and secondary schools across the 17 local government areas in Abia State have embarked on an indefinite strike.

 

Our reporter gathered while primary school teachers in the state were demanding the payment of their TSS till date, their secondary school counterparts were demanding unpaid 10 months’ salary arrears.

 

A teacher in one of the State-owned primary schools in Aba, who pleaded not to be mentioned, disclosed the union decided to embark on the industrial action after attempts by the union to persuade the state government to pay them failed.

 

Attempts to reach the leadership of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Abia State chapter failed.

 

But the Abia State Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chairman, Comrade Uchenna Obigwe, in a telephone interview with our reporter, confirmed the strike.

 

Obigwe, however, disclosed the Governor after a meeting with the leadership of Labour and NUT, which lasted for hours N1bn from the May FAC to pay some months of the accrued salary arrears.

 

According to him: “The leadership of NUT met on Friday to declare strike but in the meeting that Labour held with the governor and NUT on Sunday, we saw no need for the strike and they have been asked to play it down. Some teachers were paid for August last year; half of them were paid. “But by Friday last week, N1, 050, 000, 000 (one billion, fifty million) was released to clear the other half for August and pay all of them September, October.

 

“So the government looked at it that if N1, 050, 000 was released for teachers’ salaries from May FAC, that a sacrifice has been done.

 

“A committee was set up to address other issues which they raised and government promised to be paying two months from June. So with that, the proposed strike seemed to have been collapsed.

 

“The kids went home on Monday but will come back to school on Thursday.

 

‘’The meeting held till 8:30 pm on Sunday and the outcome of the meeting would not have gone round, which was why the teachers didn’t come to school on Monday.”

 

The Nation