PRIMARY school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will resume their suspended strike on Monday, January 15, 2024.
The teachers, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT chapter, said the strike, when it started, would be indefinite.
The union directed all Primary School teachers in the territory to join the strike.
This was revealed in a statement released on Saturday, January 13, in Abuja.
According to the teachers, the FCT chapter’s Standing Committee decided at an emergency meeting at the Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The statement added that secondary school teachers would join the Strike on Friday in solidarity with their primary school counterparts.
In a communique jointly signed by Abdullahi Shafas, Margaret Jethro and Ibukun Adekeye, State Chairman, Secretary and Publicity Secretary, respectively, the union resolved that if the outstanding demands of the Primary School Teachers are not paid before Friday, January 19, 2024, all secondary school teachers in FCT will join in solidarity with effect from Monday, 22nd January 2024.
“The Union hereby directs all FCT Primary School Teachers to resume the suspended strike action with effect from Monday, 15th January 2024, till further notice”, the NUT said.
The Primary School Teachers in the FCT embarked on indefinite strike action on September 11, 2023, to press home demands for implementing a 40 per cent Peculiar Allowance and payment of 25 months Minimum Wage Arrears, amongst other arrears.
However, according to them, following the assurances of the Minister of FCT’s intervention in resolving the issues, the union suspended the strike action for six weeks.
“The Union is worried that the six weeks given expired on November 7th, 2023; the Committee put in place to look into the issues has also completed its work, but nothing positive has taken place.
“We are concerned that a series of meetings have taken place, but the Primary school teachers remain in a pathetic situation and continue to bear the brunt of the high cost of living attributable to the removal of fuel subsidies without succour from anywhere,” the union added.
The NUT advised parents to keep their children and wards in primary schools at home starting Monday.
A reporter with the ICIR
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