Michael Onwuka, Enugu
Public primary school teachers in Enugu State have embarked on indefinite strike over the unwillingness of the state government to implement the N30, 000 minimum wage in the sector.
Ikengaonline reports that the state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), had in circular no. 001/05/2022 declared the commencement of the indefinite strike.
The circular was signed by the NUT chairman and secretary in the state, Messers Theophilus Nweke and Macs Nnaji, respectively.
The notice of strike partly reads:
“The State Wing Executive Council of the NUT has in a well attended meeting mandated the union to direct all the affected public primary school teachers in the state not to resume for the third term 2021/2022 academic session.
“This is with effect from Monday, May 9, 2022, until payment of the N30, 000 minimum wage is commenced.
“The strike must be total as no public primary school teacher in the state is to be seen in any school while the strike lasts,” it stated.
The circular stated that the strike action could only be suspended on the written directive of the leadership of the NUT.
“It is now or never, comrades,” it stated.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze, said that the state government had already begun the process of implementing the new wage in the primary sub-sector.
Eze pointed out that the leadership of the NUT was part of the process which he said was in its final stages.
The commissioner said that he could not understand why the teachers got impatient to the point of embarking on the strike.
The strike which is on its third day has grounded the primary school sub-sector as all public primary schools visited in Enugu metropolis are under lock and key.
Recall that the state government had in February 2020 started the implementation of the minimum wage.
However, only workers in the core government ministries and secondary school teachers were captured in the payment while their counterparts in parastatal agencies and primary schools were left out.
During the Workers’ Day celebration on May 1, 2022, workers in state government parastatal agencies wore black attire with a banner captioned: ‘Black May Day for Parastatals in Enugu State: Nonpayment of New Minimum Wage; Long Denial of Retirement Benefits’.
