March 16, (THEWILL) – Primary and secondary teachers in the employ of Akwa Ibom State government, have embarked on an indefinite industrial action, following the refusal of the government to meet their demands.
A press release signed by Comrade Victor Amirize, Senior State Secretary of the NUT declares an indefinite strike against the government of the state with effect from midnight of Tuesday, March 15th, 2022.
The release reads in parts: “The NUT hereby orders all public primary and secondary schools to proceed on an indefinite strike”
Among the demands by the teachers are: “Akwa Ibom State Government teachers’ amnesty programme should be reopened to cover the teachers that were cut off during the last amnesty programme.”
The teachers are also demanding for the appointment of teachers as Permanent Secretaries, as well as promotion results of teachers who attended the exercise as at 2020 should be released without recourse to a pass in the Administrative Professional Officers Compulsory Examination, as this was not demanded for at the point of the interview.
Other demands include, “Refund of 7% contributory pension to primary school teachers. Payment of gratuity/harmonisation of pension to retired teachers.
“Payment of 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 leave grant to primary school teachers.”
They are also demanding for the payment of promotion arrears for six years from 2011 to 2016 to primary schools teachers, as well as the release of 2017 and 2018 promotion exercise conducted by SUBEB, and the immediate commencement of 2019, 2020, 2021 promotion exercise.
Justifying the strike, NUT claimed that the state government could not address the demands of the teachers after 21 days and a subsequent seven day ultimatum given by the union to the government.
The Union added that the government’s promise of payment of one year leave grant on compassionate grounds and completion of payment of one month minimum wage arrears to primary school teachers could not be actualised.
The union appealed to both parents and pupils for understanding as the government’s insensitivity to the teachers’ plight has pushed NUT to call out teachers from classrooms.
