Leadership (Abuja)
Stella Eze
11 June 2008
The education sector has been thrown into a major crisis as teachers in basic and secondary schools today began a 3-day nationwide warning in protest to the Federal Government's refusal to implement the Teachers Salary Structure (TSS).
This is just as the government said it would strictly follow the provisions of the constitution with regards to payment of workers who embark on industrial action, which stipulates no work no pay for striking workers.
A meeting held between the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), top officials of the Ministry of Education, the Secretary to the Federal Government of the Federation (SGF), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Wages and Salaries Commission yesterday afternoon in Abuja ended in a deadlock as the NUT insisted that a circular stating the government has approved the new TSS be issued before midnight to convince them of government's sincerity on the implementation.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the Acting National President of NUT, Mr. Unem Nelson Unem, said his union made only one request for the issue of the circular as an indication of approval for the implementation of the TSS, adding that anything outside that would amount to strike by the teachers.
He said, "We had a meeting with the Ministers of Education and the discussions are on-going. We have made just one request from the Federal Government, that the Federal Government should issue a circular for the implementation of the TSS. That is all we have requested and so the discussions are on-going. If the circular can be released between now and tomorrow then I will have something to say to teachers across the country.
"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 directing 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."
The NUT had issued a statement last week after an extra-ordinary meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) members that it would down tools to agitate for what it called government's insensitivity to the rightful demand for the implementation of the TSS, which has been approved for their counterparts in other professions.
According to the NUT, the TSS agitation for the implementation of TSS has been on since 1991, and was approved by the former military Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha, but said it was unfortunately swept under the carpet by the successive governments, even after approving same for other professions.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu, told journalists after the unfruitful meeting that it was not the responsibility of the Federal Government to negotiate on behalf of the state and local government councils since the Federal Government would only be responsible to those under its employment in the unity schools.
According to him, the circular being demanded by the NUT is just to serve as a document, a negotiating benchmark to make the state governments comply with the TSS. "It is not our responsibility to negotiate for states and local governments," he said.
He said the demand for the issuing of the circular was not feasible because government has procedures of coming out with such circulars. He explained that the TSS package was already in the 2008 budget, but it is just for Federal Government Colleges.
"We will do our best. The most important thing is that there is provision for it in the budget. It's just a question of time, but I know it would be paid," he said.
Meanwhile, the Kano State chapter of the Accademic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), an association recently registered, yesterday dissociated itself from the three-day warning strike action to be embarked upon by the NUT today.
The group said during a press conference that it dissociated itself from the strike action as the NUT lacks power to call for strike action without collaborating with the secondary schools association.
The state chairman of the union , Comrade Jibrin Isa Mimed, said that NUT lacks mandate to speak on behalf of ASUSS because as at the time the NUT called for the strike action the ASUSS had been registered by the Federal Ministry of Labour but yet it refused to consult with the association.
Comrade Mimed said the strike action is illegal, as such his members throughout the 44 local government areas of Kano State will not join.
He said ASUSS remains the only body legally approved to represent the interest and welfare of secondary school tutors to carry out any action, saying teachers all over the country have been clamouring for special TSS over the years from various successive governments without implementation, even though approval had long been given to it by previous governments.
Comrade Mimed explained that the action of NUT in unilaterally calling for the strike action without due consultation with ASUSS is regarded as contemptuous and a slap in the face of the union.
He said the strike action as proposed by the NUT can also have a negative implication on students in SS3 and SS2 as it is likely to affect the smooth conduct of the NECO, SSCE and the state qualifying examination.
He revealed that even though ASUSS supports TSS, the action of NUT was wrong because the union made wrong timing, saying the unioun should cooperate with the government because it had gone far towards implementing its demands.
According to him, teachers in Kano have no problem because whenever the issue of TSS gets to state level for implementation, ASUSS is sure that the Shekarau administration will implement it 100 percent.
He directed secondary school tutors all over the state to dissociate themselves from the warning strike and ignore the call by NUT.
"All tutors in the state are hereby advised to be at their duty posts and go about their normal duties," the union leader emphasised.
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