3 July 2008
Lagos — The Federal Government has vowed that it will not allow the disruption of learning activities in the nation's private schools by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).
But as the teachers' strike entered its fourth day today, the NUT said yesterday picketing of private schools to force them join in its nationwide strike for wage increase, is protected by law.
Secondary and primary schools teachers have been on strike since midnight Monday in order to protest their demand for a new Teachers Salary Scale (TSS).
The Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey, in Abuja yesterday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, described NUT threat as unfortunate considering the fact that the labour union comprises pioneer scholars.
Odey in company with the Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Jerry Agada and the Minister of Labour, Dr. Hassan Lawal, said the NUT could not foist its decision for salary increase on state and local governments because revenue generation varies from state to state.
"It is very unfortunate. It is sad that a group of people who are also pioneers in the education sector take the laws into their hands. It is most unfortunate and no reasonable government of course would allow that to happen and certainly we will not allow that to happen and entrepreneurs would not allow that to happen."
Odey said the union could not dictate to private schools on how much to pay their teachers or insist that they join in the strike.
The information minister, however, expressed optimism that NUT would not carry out its threat as a responsible organisation.
Aja-Nwachukwu said despite the rancour the "government is committed and government is also encouraging the states to do what is possible and l can assure you that some states have also started discussing the issue with their teachers."
He said the government would engage in dialogue with the striking teachers under a conducive atmosphere.
From Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Sufuyan Ojeifo, Damilola Oyedele and Stanley Nkwazema in Abuja
"We will dialogue when the atmosphere is conducive. They cannot arm twist us to get us to dialogue," he insisted.
According to a statement by the Deputy National President of NUT, Mr. Onem Nelson Onem and General Secretary Ikpe Obong yesterday in Abuja, the union said that the workers' right to picket private schools had the backing of section 42 of the Trade Union Act.
"The NUT has a right to picket the private schools. Section 42 of the Trade Union Act provides that 'it shall be lawful for one or more persons acting on behalf of a trade union in furtherance of a trade dispute to peacefully persuade any person to abstain from work'," it said.
The union argued that by insulating private schools, where children of most government officials attend, the government and the officials would be forced to solve the problem.
The union accused the Minister of Education, Aja-Nwachukwu, of misleading the government on the teachers' demand.
"The Minister is portraying our union as troublesome, the two Ministers merely exhibit their utter bad faith. We are gratified that many right-thinking people in Nigeria, including some in government, appreciate that the NUT has over the years established a reputation for moderation. Unfortunately, rather than appreciate this, the current administration wants to exploit it to cheat Nigerian teachers.
"The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) wishes to react to the statements made today by the Minister of Information, Mr. John Odeh, and the Minister of Education, Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachukwu over the ongoing national strike by primary and secondary school teachers. The comments by the Ministers show that government is not keen about an expeditious resolution of this matter. This is extremely unfortunate and amounts to a great disservice to the educational sector," it said.
The statement said: "The two Ministers had misrepresented the NUT by seeking to create the impression that our union is insisting that the Federal Government should decide salaries for teachers employed by the states. The position of the NUT is that the Federal Government should issue the circular creating the Teachers' Salary Structure for its teachers."
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday in plenary passed a motion urging the Federal Government to approve and commence immediately the implementation of the new Teachers Salary Scale (TSS).
It said the TSS had been provided for in the 2008 Appropriation Act, adding that the Federal Government should issue the relevant circular to that effect.
In a motion brought by the Chairman of the House Committee on Education Farouk Lawan with 95 others, the lawmakers pleaded with the NUT to suspend the strike, as government would take adequate measures to resolve the problem.
Lawan, who led the debate that was not opposed by any member, said he was surprised that even after the House had cut short their short break to intervene in the crisis, the Federal Government had refused to implement the resolution, which resulted in the strike.
He said: "Teachers agreed to suspend the deadline of the strike after our intervention. Teachers' problem is central to educational standards in the country. The money is in the 2008 Appropriation Act passed and assented to by the National Assembly. It is only a 27.5 per cent increase. It is sad because some teachers' take-home pay is about N6,000.
"We should not allow this to continue, the calendar will be disrupted and it will have a negative impact and serious implication on the educations system."
Leader of the Opposition in the House, Hon. Ali Ndume, said there was no need extending the debate on the issue and called on the members to urgently support it, as other labour organisations were making moves to join the strike.
Ndume said the seriousness of the regime is now being doubted on the issue of rule of law and why they are not implementing the budget.
Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Joy Emodi, yesterday called on the striking NUT to uphold its reputation by resorting to dialogue in the resolution of its conflict with the Federal Government.
A statement signed by Emodi at the end of an emergency meeting of the Committee expressed regrets that its efforts at resolving the dispute between the union and the government had not been successful.
The statement reads in part: "We are living witnesses to a dwindling educational standard, majorly caused by low morale of managers and instructors, occasioned by poor motivation. The consequence of this is numerous sectoral crises.
"When it is not students' unrest, it is ASUU strike, when ASUU is resting, NASU takes up its 'arms", when it is neither ASUU nor NASU, it is ASUP or NASUP. Today, it is the erstwhile docile NUT."
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