Ruby Rabiu
11 June 2008
Abuja — Public sector school teachers all over the country are expected to join in a three-day strike action that begins today following the break down of talks held in Abuja yesterday between officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and those of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
Soon after the talks failed, NUT leaders said since no concrete resolution was reached, the industrial action would commence today.
NUT's acting national president Comrade Nelson Onem, who addressed pressmen after the meeting with the Minister of Education, said it was unfortunate that the two sides were unable to reach an agreement, adding that the union would not go back on its decision to go on strike.
But Minister of Education Igwe Aja Nwachuku quickly warned that the federal government would have no choice but to implement the no work no pay rule if the teachers insist on proceeding on strike. He said government has the political will power to do that. Comrade Onem however said the ultimatum given to the government stands until when their issues are resolved to the teachers' satisfaction. He said although
talks were still in progress, no concrete decision was reached and until a circular is released that the Teachers Salary Scale (TSS) is to be implemented, there was no going back on the strike action.
He said, 'We made just one request from the Federal Government, that they should issue a circular for the implementation of the TSS. That is all we have requested, and so the discussions are ongoing. If the circular can be released between now and tomorrow, then I will have something to say to teachers across the country."
He added, "I say the discussions are ongoing because we have not agreed on anything. Until we have a circular from the Federal Ministry of Education or from the Federal Government direc-ting the implementation of the Teachers Salary Structure, then the proposed three day warning strike will take place. So it is left for the government to do the right thing.
Minister Igwe Aja Nwachuku, who spoke to pressmen afterwards, said no form of conclusion was arrived at, as the NUT members said they needed time to consult with their members before any decision could be reached.
He added that progress was made in terms of negotiations but said "regrettably, we were unable to convince the NUT to step down the strike action."
He also said, "We have made adequate progress, because we showed them evidence that we are taking the matter seriously. At today's meeting, all stakeholders involved in the matter were present, though it is quite hard to know where the bottleneck is, but we are working hard to see that we implement the TSS."
"We have made progress, and the deliberations have been peaceful, and we can still say we have made progress in appealing to them to step down the warning strike," said Nwachukwu.
Speaking on the issue of releasing a circular before midnight in order to avert the strike, the minister said it was "not quite feasible" as procedure needs to be followed, and "permission must be sought from higher authorities before documents of such magnitude are released. We have made provision for the TSS in the budget. They will be paid, it is just a question of time, but it will only be for those employed by the federal government."
When asked if the government will implement the no work no pay rule, Nwachuku said if the teachers decide to go on strike, then the federal government will have no choice but to implement whatever the law stipulates in the circumstances.
He said, "The constitution is not discriminatory against anybody, and the government has the will power to do as the constitution says."
In recent weeks, the federal Government began frantic efforts to resolve the issues raised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) concerning the implementation of the new salary scale being demanded by them to avert an industrial action.
Meanwhile, the Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO) Prof. Promise Okpalla yesterday said the strike action will affect the forthcoming NECO examinations, which according to him will not augur well for the educational system.
The teachers' decision to begin the strike action received a boost at the weekend when teachers in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Arewa Coordinating Committee voted unanimously to ensure that not only will all schools in the region be closed, but that there will be no going back until Federal Government gives in to their demand.
Chairman of the coordinating committee and also chairman of the Borno state wing of the NUT, Comrade Garba Ngamdu, in the comm-uniqué issued at the end of the meeting, said that teachers in the northern part of the country were ready for a protracted strike that would last for as long as the government refuses to approve a separate salary structure for teachers.
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