TheNewsGuru

Tag: NUT

  • Strike: Obey NUT, get dismissed from service, El-Rufai warns Kaduna teachers

    The Kaduna State Government has warned its teachers on its payroll to disregard calls by the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) to embark on an indefinite strike starting from Monday (today).

    Academic activities are scheduled to resume in all government schools on January 8 across the state after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, earlier on Sunday called on all teachers to remain at home until the state government reverses its decision to sack over 21,000 primary school teachers who scored below 75 per cent in a competency test. The NUT said it had given the state government two weeks’ notice to rescind the decision, which has since lapsed.

    Earlier in the new year, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, had also criticised the government’s decision to proceed with the sack despite a suit at the National Industrial Court on the matter.

    However, in a statement signed by Governor El-Rufai’s spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, the government warned the teachers not to heed the call of the NUT.

    “It has come to the notice of the Kaduna State Government that the state branch of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has declared an indefinite strike. This is an illegal action, and will not achieve its aim of derailing the education reforms being implemented by the government.

    “The Kaduna State Government is not available to be blackmailed into knowingly retaining unqualified teachers. Neither would it mortgage the future of two million primary school pupils because failed teachers are shamelessly mobilizing sentiment.

    “At the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Labour, the Kaduna State Government twice met in Abuja with the officials of the NLC and the NUT. The Governor Nasir El-Rufai personally led the Kaduna State delegation to the first meeting. During these interactions, Kaduna state made it clear that as an employer, it has every right to determine who its employees are or can be, and the minimum qualifications they must possess.”

    Mr. Aruwan then declared the government’s threat.

    “The Kaduna State Government wishes to inform the public that it has instructed its Education administrators to open registers in all its schools, starting from Monday, 8th January 2018.

    “Any teacher that is absent from work will be treated with the consequences that pertain to absconding from duty under the Public Service Rules. There can be no doubt that state will take firm and decisive disciplinary action against personnel who absent themselves from duty, including dismissal from service.

    “Kaduna State recalls that the NUT placed primary school pupils, who are the victims of failing teachers, in danger by pushing them into the streets to demonstrate for the retention of bad teachers. That ruse failed. Some union leaders are also likely to be prosecuted for assault, unlawful procession and destruction of public property when they attacked the State House of Assembly.

    “The children of the poor are the ones that attend public primary schools. We owe them a decent standard of education, and we shall provide it.”

  • Teachers’ sack: NUT begins indefinite strike Jan. 8 in Kaduna

    The Kaduna State Wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), has directed its member to commence indefinite strike on Monday, Jan. 8, over the sack of 21,780 public primary school teachers in the state.

    This is contained in a notice of strike dated Jan. 4, 2018, signed by the union’s Assistant Secretary General, Adamu Anglo.

    TheNewsGuru reports that the teachers were sacked for allegedly failing to score 75 per cent pass mark of the competency test organised by the state government in June 2017.

    The notice, circulated to all the union executives in the 23 local government areas of the state indicated that a two weeks ultimatum was earlier issued to the state government to reverse its decision.

    According to the union, the decision has become necessary after the state government began issuing sack letters to the affected teachers after the Christmas and New Year holidays.

    “As a responsible union, we ventilated our grievances before the National Industrial Court, Kaduna, and the court on Dec. 4, 2017, granted an interlocutory injunction, restraining the state government from disengaging any teacher pending the determination of the case.

    “The court order was served to Gov Nasir El-Rufai, but surprisingly, he went on to order the distribution of letters of disengagement to the affected teachers, dated Nov. 3rd, 2017.

    “We, therefore, met on January 4th, 2018 and unanimously resolved to embark on indefinite strike action on Monday 8.”

    The notice also highlighted other unresolved issues with the state government, such as compulsory retirement of secondary school teachers before their due date as against the 35 years of service or 60 years of age provided by civil service rules.

    Other issues include non payment of 2015 leave transport grant to 3,338 primary school teachers, as well as 2016 and 2017 leave transport grant to all public school teachers despite deductions at source.

    The teachers are also asking for payment of salary arrears of more than 15,000 primary school teachers of one to 12 months from June 2015 to July 2016.

    The NUT also said the government has failed pay the salaries to some teachers, while others are under payed.

    It stressed that the state government has also failed to promote teachers and provide teaching and learning materials to schools among others.

     

  • Oyo NUT commends Ajimobi over appointment of Education Secretaries

    The Nigeria Union of Teachers, Oyo State Wing, has commended the governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi for the re-appointment of teachers as Education Secretaries for the 33 Local Government Universal Basic Education Authorities.

    The union gave the commendation in a letter addressed to the governor and signed by its State Secretary, Comrade Waheed Olojede.

    Comrade Olojede explained that the re-appointment of teachers as Education Secretaries has cleared all intrigues and mis-representations wrongly informing the NUT and her teeming members that the present administration in the state vowed never to appoint teachers in such positions again arising from the alleged poor performances of the last crop of secretaries.

    He noted that the Union was encouraged by Governor Ajimobi’s gesture, stressing that the gesture has been accepted as one that will permanently keep their detractors at bay.

    According to him, “the NUT Oyo State Wing and its leadership have viewed the good gesture of Your Excellency as well directed and as one that is based on consideration for professional ethics and values which in our belief will go a long way in energizing Primary Education in the state.”

    Comrade Olojede stated that the appointment of teachers as education secretaries will further strengthen the existing robust relationship between the governor and NUT, adding “it is our collective determination to forge ahead in energizing the state education industry.

    “With deep involvement of teachers in the administration of the Primary Education sub-sector, we feel more elated, encouraged and inclined to pledge our total support and commitment to seeing your visionary education policy succeeding in the state.

    “We shall together get to our pride of place of a hundred percent success in our state,” Comrade Olojede said.

  • No going back on strike, says Abia NUT

    Teachers in Abia on Tuesday said that there was no going back on the strike they embarked upon to demand the payment of the arrears of their five months salaries.

    Mr. Chizobem Akparanta, the state Chairman of the union, gave an update on the ongoing strike at the end of an emergency meeting of the State Working Committee at the union secretariat.

    He told newsmen that the committee resolved that the action, which commenced on Jan. 9, would continue until the state government yielded to their demand.

    Akparanta said, “There is no going back on this strike until the arrears of our salaries are paid to us. This is the resolution of the state working committee.”

    He said that teachers in government primary and secondary schools in the state were paid their July 2016 salary in December, and were still owed August to December salaries.

    “Following the development, the state working committee decided to write and inform the government that starting from Jan. 9, we would go on strike,” he said.

    The state NUT chairman said apart from the arrears of their salaries, they were also owed about seven years of their leave grants.

    He said that the primary school teachers were owed six years Teachers Enhancement Allowances, adding that secondary school teachers were also owed 11 months arrears of the minimum wage.

    According to the union chairman, the union went on a three-day warning strike in January 2016 to draw the government’s attention to their plight.

    He flayed the non-implementation of primary school teachers’ promotion entitlements, noting that teachers in the state were last promoted in 2011.

    “In respect to all these, the teachers in public primary and secondary schools now resolved to embark on a strike,” Akparanta said.

    He further said, that government had not shown any concern over their plight and the current strike.

    “Since we commenced the action on Jan. 9, government has not called us to a round table.

    “As teachers and patriotic citizens, we are ready for dialogue when they call us.

    “Everything is a game of give and take, but as of now, government has not opened discussion with us,” the union chairman said.