Nigeria: Minimum Wage - Bayelsa Teachers Issue 14-Day Strike Notice

13 October 2023
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Bassey Willie

Teachers in Bayelsa State have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the state government and local government councils in the state to address the plight of primary and secondary school teachers or face industrial action.

Rising from an executive meeting of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Friday in Yenagoa, the state capital, the teachers said their grievances arose from the inability of both state and local governments to implement the N30,000 minimum wage and promotion of primary school teachers in the state.

The union in a statement signed by some branch chairmen, including Ikiba Izibenidie, Chairman NUT Yenagoa Branch; Ekereke Aruaman, Chairman NUT Ogbia; Tarabina Ebikibina, Chairman NUT Kolokuma/Opukima; Amakiri Idibiye, Chairman NUT Nembe, stated that the 14-day ultimatum took effect from Friday, October 13, adding that failure to address the issues within the period would force teachers in the state to go on strike.

According to them, the government's action towards the teachers in the state is nothing but humiliation and frustration to the people that devote their time and energies in training the future generation of Nigerians living in the state.

The union said that teachers suffered untold hardship as a result of the non payment of promotion arrears to both primary and secondary school teachers in the state.

They also expressed dissatisfaction with government's continuous negligence of the plight of teachers who play critical role in the state, despite engaging them at different fora.

Governor Douye Diri had during the 2023 worker's day celebration promised to constitute a special committee to be chaired by the Secretary to the State Government to resolve the issue of the implementation of the N30,000 minimum wage in the state.

He also directed that the promotions for 2021 and 2022 for local government workers be implemented immediately, urging the deputy governor to liaise with the councils and take the necessary action to ensure its implementation.

But since that directive was given by the governor, it appeared no action has been taken to assuage the grievances of the workers in the state.

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