Salaries: No going back on strike in debtor states – NUT

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has restated its position that the teachers in 10 states that are still owing salary arrears should not resume work until all arrears were paid.
Mike Ike-Ene, General-Secretary of the union, spoke on the directive in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Mr. Ike-Ene said that 10 out of 36 states still owed teachers several months of salary arrears in spite of the Paris Club Refund given to states by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He listed the states to include: Abia, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Benue, Delta, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo, Kwara and Taraba, describing them as chronic debtors as far as teachers’ salaries are concerned.
According to him, Abia owes primary school teachers four months and secondary school teachers one month, Adamawa; two months to primary school teachers and one month to secondary.
“Others are Bayelsa; seven and half months to primary school teachers and four and half months to secondary, Benue owes 12 months to primary school teachers and seven months to secondary.
“Ekiti owes eight months to primary school teachers and five months to secondary, Kogi; three months to primary school teachers and three months to secondary.
“Taraba; six months to primary school teachers, Delta; four months to primary school and one month to secondary. Kwara and Ondo owe teachers three and four months’ salary arrears of 2016 respectively,’’ he explained.
Mr. Ike-Ene said that the union has directed its members in the affected states, especially the primary school teachers not to resume work until all the arrears were cleared.
He also said that NUT had in 2017, appealed to the governors concerned to use the period of the Christmas holiday to clear all the arrears, but yet some still failed to do so.
NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2017, advised state governors to use the Paris Club Refund to liquidate any form of arrears they owe workers. (NAN)