The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Ebonyi State Wing, has declared an indefinite strike for teachers in seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) over unpaid salary arrears.
Edda, Ebonyi, Ezza South, Ezza North, Ishielu, Ivo, and Ohaukwu are the affected LGAs.
The strike, which commenced at noon on Thursday, was announced in a statement signed by Mr. Bassey Asuquo, State Secretary of the union, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki.
The decision to embark on the industrial action follows months of unsuccessful negotiations with the affected LGAs. Teachers in these areas are reportedly owed four months’ salaries, covering October, November, December, and January.
What they said
According to the NUT, its decision to down tools came after consultations with relevant union organs at both the state and national levels.
“Sequel to our earlier notice on mobilisation for an industrial strike, we have thoroughly reviewed the compliance of Local Government Area chairmen regarding the clearance of our members’ salaries.
“As at the close of work on Wednesday, we acknowledge that some LGAs have cleared the backlog of salaries owed to our members.
“However, we regret to inform you that several chairmen of LGAs have failed to clear the backlog of our members’ outstanding salary arrears.
“In response to this non-compliance therefore, we hereby declare indefinite strike action in the affected council areas which include; Edda, Ebonyi, Ezza North, Ezza South, Ishielu, Ivo, and Ohaukwu LGAs respectively,” NUT stated.
Strike enforcement and compliance
The NUT emphasized that its officers in the affected LGAs have been instructed to enforce strict adherence to the strike directive.
“All our state branch officers in the affected LGAs are instructed to adhere strictly to this directive and ensure the immediate enforcement of the strike action from 12 am on Thursday, Feb 6.
“The failure of these LGAs’ chairmen to meet their obligations to our members is unacceptable, and we will not relent until our demands are met.
“We call on all our members to remain steadfast and continue their support for the strike.”
Reports from NAN confirm that teachers in the affected LGAs have fully complied with the strike action. In Ebonyi LGA, there was 100 percent compliance on the first day of the strike.
During visits to several schools, including Ezza High School, Ishieke; Presco Secondary School; Urban Model Secondary School; and Nnodo Secondary School, teachers were seen in groups discussing the situation, while students were observed leaving the premises.
