Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ebonyi State has declared an indefinite strike in seven local government areas in the state.
The strike action, the Union said, is due to non-payment of at least three months salaries to some teachers in the affected local government area.
A statement by the Union’s Secretary, Bassey Asuquo, listed the affected local government areas as Ebonyi, Edda, Ezza South, Ezza North, Ivo, Ishielu and Ohaukwu.
The statement reads: “Sequel to our earlier notice on mobilisation for industrial strike action, we have thoroughly reviewed the compliance of local government chairmen regarding the clearance of our members’ salaries.
“As of the close of work today, February 5, 2025, we acknowledge that certain local government areas have cleared the salaries of our members.
“However, we regret to inform you that several local government chairmen have failed to clear the backlog of our members’ outstanding salaries.
“In response to this non-compliance, we hereby declare indefinite strike action in the following Local Government Areas: Edda, Ebonyi, Ezza South, Ezza North, Ishielu, Ivo and Ohaukwu.
“All our state and branch officers in the affected local government areas are instructed to adhere strictly to this directive and ensure the immediate enforcement of the strike action from 12:00am on Thursday 6th of February, 2025.
“This includes organising and maintaining solidarity picket lines and monitoring the compliance of the strike action across the affected localities,” the statement said.
The Union noted that failure of the local government chairmen to meet their obligations to its members is unacceptable and vowed not to relent until its demands are met.
“We call on all members to remain steadfast and continue their support for the strike action.”